Syrian director Ossama Mohamed voiced on Sunday his pleasure that his movie, Silvered Water : Syria Self-Portrait, was screened at the Cairo International Film Festival, the first time it is introduced in an Arab event.
During a seminar held following the screening of the movie on Sunday, two days before the festival closes, Mohamed noted that his movie was the only Arab production that took part in the Cannes International Film Festival last May, and had also been named best documentary in the London Film Festival last month.
“ It will be screened commercially in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, as well as a large number of other countries”, Mohamed said. Though the film is expected to face commercial problems in the Arab region, he says, it will not encounter the same troubles in Egypt, thanks to its “strong” cinema industry.
“I hoped my film would compete in the official competition of the Cairo International Film Festival because it is a big, internationally-recognized festival, yet, there had been legal issues since it had previously been screened on a TV channel”, Mohamed said. “Theaters have become the actual platform to reflect our tragedy.”
Mohamed revealed he had faced difficulties obtaining entry permission to Egypt due to lengthy security procedures, however, he pointed that the film was warmly welcomed at the festival.
According to Mohamed, photography succeeded in depicting moments of violence and brutality endured by villagers besieged by Syrian regime forces.
‘My film is a daily documentation of funerals turning into massacres. Syrians no are caught between fascist options: the regime, Jihadist and ISIL, which is the major catastrophe”, he said.
“Recent Syrian movies have been made by non-professionals, yet they will achieve their best levels in future movies”, Mohamed said, adding that those amateurs have succeeded in entertaining viewers with their creative energy and correcting the image taken of the Syrian issue from different angles.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
