This Ramadan, The Italian Cultural Institute will present a series of cartoons specifically selected for the Islamic fasting month. This way, the institute hopes to present a worthy cinematographic exhibition in a month of particular importance for Muslims while at the same providing the public with a new forum for entertainment.
Since schools are still in summer recess and children still on the loose, the institute felt that the screening of cartoons would be an original and helpful idea for parents struggling to keep their kids busy until the beginning of the new school year.
The institute in Zamalek will therefore be screening cartoons from 1 August to 5 September, with a movie screening (with Italian or English subtitles) every Sunday at 6 PM and a rerun at 8 PM. Leading in August will be 'Aida of the Trees' (2001) by Guido Manuli and 'Toto’ Sapore e la Magica Storia Della Pizza' ('Toto Sapore and the Magic History of Pizza,' 2003) by Maurizio Forestieri.
The cartoons chosen specifically for Ramadan will begin on 15 August and include 'The Thin Match Man' (2009, with English subtitles) by Marco Chiarini and three films by director Enzo D’Alò: 'Lucky and Zorba' (1998), 'Momo' (2001), and 'Opopomoz' (2003). These are not simply cartoons for kids, but movies with values and messages for all viewers regardless of age, featuring mature direction and elegant musical scores.
Highly recommended is 'Lucky and Zorba,' based on the Luis Sépulveda novel 'The Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly.' In this inspiring film, a cat named Zorba meets a seagull dying from exposure to an oil slick. The seagull gives her egg to Zorba, asking him not to eat it but take care of it, and to teach the as-yet-unborn chick, Lucky, to fly. Later, Lucky must come to terms with the fact that she is not a cat–even though she was raised by one–in order to learn how to fly. The story imparts the importance of accepting our differences as positive characteristics that make us unique and the need to respect nature.
'Momo,' meanwhile, based on a children’s novel of the same name by author Michael Ende, tells the story of a young girl, Momo, who is forbidden to play with her friends by the Gray Men, who try to persuade her that time is money, and is much too valuable to be spent on love and friendship. After a series of adventures, however–and thanks to the Master of Time and a magic turtle–Momo defeats the Gray Men, proving that love enriches life and is, ultimately, worth the time.
The Italian Cultural Institute
Address: 3 Sheikh El Marsafi St, Zamalek
Telephone: +20 (02) 27358791; 27355423
