Culture

Tunisian filmmaker, Kaouther Ben Hania makes waves with ‘Four Daughters’ at Cannes Festival

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2023

Tunisian filmmaker, Kaouther Ben Hania has courted the attention of the movie world with the exhibition of her docu-fiction film, “Four Daughters” at the Cannes Festival competition premiere held in Paris, France.

The “Four Daughters”, which is a mix of documentary and fiction and tells the story of a Tunisian mother whose two older daughters joined the radical Islamic terror group, ISIS, drew wide acclaim from critics and is recording good sales following its positive reception.

According to world-renowned Variety movie critic, Jessica Kiang, the Oscar-nominated Ben Hania, whose previous works include “Beauty and the Dogs” and “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” delves into the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni who rose to international prominence in April 2016 when she publicized the radicalization of her two teenage daughters who had left Tunisia to fight with ISIS.

“The film, which is the only Arab entry in this year’s Cannes competition, stars Egyptian-Tunisian star, Hend Sabry, in the lead role of an actor who must play Hamrouni and gets coaching from the real Olfa on how to prepare for the role,” Kiang said.

“It also stars two of the four daughters as themselves and actresses Ichraq Matar and Nour Karoui as the two other daughters lost to ISIS.

“Four Daughters” is a compelling, ambitious hybrid, and one of the aspects that makes the film gripping is that we’re not used to seeing this overtly experimental approach applied to a story about the daily struggles of Arab women in a majority-Islamic North African country”, she added.

Ben Hania who also spoke on the success of her movie, said:

“What interested me is that it’s a women’s story and also a story of adolescent women. They are teenagers when everything happened. So what does it mean to be a teenager in a context like this?

“What does it mean to start thinking about sexuality with a mother that does not want to hear about your sexuality or your desire? In a world where desire is punished.”

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Culture

Egyptian Navy rescues five, recovers four bodies after tourist yacht sinks in Red Sea

Published

14 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Egyptian Naval Forces on Tuesday announced the rescue of five people and recovery of four bodies a day after a tourist yacht carrying 44 passengers sank in the Red Sea in the coastal town of Marsa Alam.

The rescue of the five tourists brings the total to 33 survivors who have so far been rescued, while seven remain missing.

Egyptian officials say the rescue operation which is still ongoing, was ordered and 28 people were rescued on Monday from the vessel.

According to the officials,
Sea Story, a live-aboard used mainly for maritime activities, had sent a distress signal after a large wave crashed into the boat, causing it to capsize.

“Some passengers were inside the cabins when the boat overturned within minutes,” according to the official statement released.

On Tuesday, the governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said the five survivors were two Belgians, an Egyptian, a Swiss citizen, and a Finnish national, adding that the four bodies are yet to be identified.

The tourist yacht which sank on Monday night, carried 13 Egyptians, including crew members, and 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain, and Ireland, reports in the North African country said.

“Sea Story left Port Ghalib in Marsa Alam on Sunday and was scheduled to deck in Hurghada five days later. It sank 46 nautical miles away from Marsa Alam.

“The boat had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March, officials said. According to the website of the boat operator Dive Pro Liveaboard, the Sea Story was built in 2022 and can hold 36 passengers,” the governor said.

Culture

South African anti-apartheid writer Breyten Breytenbach dies at 85

Published

2 days ago

November 25, 2024

Isaac Dachen

South African anti-apartheid writer and poet, Breyten Breytenbach, has passed away at the age of 85 after a long battle with ill-health.

A statement by his family said Breytenbach who was a staunch opponent of the county’s white-minority government’s apartheid policy of racial oppression, died in Paris on Sunday.

A citation by a South African news platform describes Breytenbach as a celebrated wordsmith and a leading voice in literature in Afrikaans, and a fierce critic of apartheid that was imposed against the country’s Black majority between 1948 and 1990.

“He moved to Paris but on a clandestine trip to his home country in 1975, he was arrested on allegations that he assisted Nelson Mandela’s then-outlawed African National Congress group in its sabotage campaign against the white-minority government,” the medium wrote.

“He was convicted of treason and served seven years in prison. French president Francois Mitterrand helped secure his release in 1982.

“Upon his release, Breytenbach based himself in Paris, becoming a French citizen, and continued his anti-apartheid activism.

“Breytenbach is best known for “Confessions of an Albino Terrorist,” his account of his imprisonment and the events leading to it.

“His work addressed themes of exile, identity and justice, his family said in a statement on Sunday. Known for his masterful poetry collections in Afrikaans, as well as autobiographical works such as “The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist” and “A Season in Paradise,” he fearlessly addressed themes of exile, identity and justice,” his family said in a statement.

Born in the Western Cape province in 1939, Breytenbach was a poet, novelist, painter and activist whose work touched on and influenced literature and the arts both domestically and abroad.

He joined Okhela, an ideological wing of South Africa’s African National Congress, in exile, but remained deeply connected to his South African roots, his family said.