April at the CAIRO JAZZ CLUB

The Cairo Jazz Club welcomes the month of April in style tomorrow Sunday April 1, 2012 with an oriental jazz evening featuring Akram El Sharkawy.
In addition to local darlings Salalem, Yehya Khalil, Massar Egbari, Wust El Balad, and other local bands, this month CJC will host concerts from Pressure Pot (Tanjared Daght), a Syrian band playing progressive Arabic rock and debuting at CJC on Thursday April 5, and Otaak Band, an American Sudanese music project that will celebrate on Tuesday April 24 the release of their latest record (produced in Cairo).
Electronic House Music fans will have their field day on Friday April 13 with world famous DJ Raysoo.

For the complete April schedule of the Cairo Jazz Club, click here.

DOWNTOWN CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL

A bonanza of concerts, theatre productions, contemporary dance performances, visual arts exhibitions, and film projections bringing together artists from Egypt and the Arab region is awaiting you at different venues in Downtown Cairo from Thursday March 29 to Saturday April 14, 2012.

To see the complete program of this amazing event, click here to be redirected to the event website.

Abou El Gheit Dervishes at the Tanbura Hall

El Mastaba Center for Egyptian Folk Music will host a night of spiritual music with the Sufi group Abou El Gheit Dervishes on Thursday March 29, 2012 in El Tanbura Hall at 9:00 PM. Entry tickets available at the entrance (20 EGP) .

The Story of the Dervishes of Abou El Gheit
Abou El Gheit is the name of an island near Qaliyubia where a queen called Anja once lived. She used to enslave people to work for her on her enormous property for next to nothing.
Sheikh Hassan Ebeid was a religious man, who had given up on any greed or material aspirations, and did not approve of Anja's behavior. He was called Hassan Al Ghitani, which means the one who always resides in the 'gheit' or field.
Hassan would help the poor, mistreated farmers and workers of queen Anja, and in the remaining time would pray in the fields. One night he found a dead body floating in a canal near a field where he had spent the night praying to God. He buried it carefully and fell asleep. During his sleep he was touched by a soft whisper of a messenger of God, who promised him that God would care for him and protect him.
Queen Anja tried to kill Hassan several times, but never succeeded as he was protected by God's mercy.
People began calling him Sheikh Abul Gheit, and coming from all over the country to enjoy his presence and witness his miracles.
Sheikh Abul Gheit died in 1830 and his son Sheik Attallah Abul Gheit followed in his footsteps. He had many devoted admirers and was known for the Sufi "zikr" rituals he would perform all over Egypt.
One night, Sheikh Attallah Abul Gheit was in an area called Arab Al Mohamadi, known for its Sudanese community and frequent zar performances. The leader of this area was a tough man named Mohamed Morgan, who wouldn't allow anyone to have entertainment or conduct a zikr without his permission. During a confrontation with him, Sheikh Abul Gheit prayed that God would purify Morgan's soul, and overnight Morgan had became Abul Gheit's most devoted follower. Morgan joined him in every journey after that and lead the zikr nights after Abul Gheit's death.
Morgan was the link between Arab Al Mohamadi and Abul Gheit and the distinct styles of Egyptian and Sudanese Zar. Through him, his sons and his followers, a new and unique kind of music came to life. Through constant traveling and experimenting, Abul Gheit's dervishes created an exceptional fusion, a new kind of zar that did not believe in 'ghosts' or 'spirits', but was in fact a tool to awaken the spirit and touch the deepest levels of the soul.*

"Sufi singing is characterized by its power to deeply penetrate into the human soul. The dervishes of the Ghitani way have penetrated even further: in their weekly gatherings their chanting can lead to a kind of healing of the pain and suffering of the soul. This brings together those who seek the spiritual help that can give relief to their wounds.
We are not claiming that you will touch the same spirituality as in their ritual gatherings, but if you come to see them at El Tanbura Hall, you will discover a spiritual world you haven't seen before."

* Information provided by El Mastaba Center for Egyptian Folk Music.

"On the Road to ... Downtown" at the French Cultural Centre

The movie "On the Road to ... Downtown" by Sharif al-Bendary (Egypt, 2011, 70 min., Arabic with English subtitles) will be screened on Tuesday April 3, 2012 at the French Cultural Centre in Mounira (time to be announced).
To know more about the documentary, click here for an article on Ahram Weekly, here for an article on Egypt Indipendent, and here to watch the trailer.

Baroque Music Concert with Ingrid Richter

On Thursday March 29, 2012 at 7:00 PM St. John’s Church/Maadi (at the corner of Port Said Rd and Rd 17 in Maadi - Cairo) will host “Homage to the Angels” - an evening of music and art - a special music and artistic concert of Baroque Music by Ingrid Richter, renowned German Baroque Violinist, with artistic creation by Claire Marie Pearman.

For more information: www.maadichurch.org / tel. 2358-3085

UMM KULTHOUM DIGITAL - ENDLESS UMM KULTHOUM

“Umm Kulthoum Digital – Endless Umm Kulthoum”, an electro-acoustic multimedia performance by Swiss multimedia artist Jean-Luc Marchina and Egyptian musicians Nahla Mattar and Ahmad El Sawy is a collaborative project for a contemporary Umm Kulthoum concert that will be held on Tuesday March 27, 2012 at 8:00 PM at the Hanager Theatre in the Cairo Opera House Grounds.

Marchina, provides a series of video films proposing several portraits of Egyptian people in their current daily life related to the themes of Umm Kulthum's songs such as love, loss and longing. On the other hand, Mattar and El Sawy present an electro acoustic performance of Umm Kulthoum’s songs and music.

The performance raises questions like: “How would Umm Kulthoum have dealt with modern technology?” It is an experimental approach to a contemporary model of Umm Kulthoum’s musical heritage.

Vocal: Seikh Walid Shaheen
Nay: Laith Suleiman
Accordion: Wael Elsayed
Percussion: Ayman Mabrouk
Sound Designer: Hussein Sami 

Supported by Pro Helvetia

"HEIDI" children puppet theater at the Cairo Puppet Theater

In a storytelling evening addressed to children at the Cairo Puppets Theater on Sunday March 25 and Monday March 26, 2012 at 10:00 AM & 12:00 PM (two performances daily), Egyptian storyteller Abeer Soliman will perform “Heidi” – the famous story by Swiss writer Peter Stamm - within Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children. The book was translated into Arabic by Kalima Organization within Abu Dhabi International Book fair in UAE, with the support of Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.

Soliman will tell her audience the full details of "Heidi's" relationship to her new friend. Why didn't she stay in the city? What kind of adventures did she have when she decided to go back to her grandfather on the mountains? How did she learn to read and write?

Story character puppets designed by Hani El-Masri.
Story scenes projections designed by Walid Fathi.
Soundtrack and song music by Ahmed El Sawy.
Story Song dedicated by Walid Salah El-Din.
Heidi is directed by Mohammad ElSaeedi and supported by Pro Helvetia.

Pro Helvetia Cairo has donated Arabic translated copies of the book “Heidi” to branches of Misr public library in different governorates around Egypt.

Cairo Puppets Theater: 26 July St., Ataba, Cairo (directions here)
Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children - AFCA in coordination with The Arabic Agency for Culture Exchange “Noon”
afca-arts.com

RAMZI YASSA at the COH

The great Egyptian pianist Ramzi Yassa (click here for bio) will perform tomorrow Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 8:00 PM in the Main Hall of Cairo Opera House, accompanied by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mina Zikri.
Yassa will play the wonderful Rachmaninov's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra no. 2. The program will also feature one of Beethoven's best symphonies (though unfairly not one of the most famous), the no. 7.
Yassa does not play that often in Cairo, if you've the evening free this is an event not to be missed.

TAHRIR BOOK FAIR at AUC Tahrir Campus

From today Thursday March 22 to Saturday March 24, 2012 AUC Tahrir Campus will host the 2nd Tahrir Book Fair. The fair is open from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Bookworms (no pun intended; I'm one of them) can find new books, bargains, special offers with lots of English titles as well. Many bookstores, publishers, gift stores, and booksellers are participating, including Adam Bookshop, Lehnert & Landrock, Khan Misr Touloun, Oum El Dounia, and AUC  Campus Shop. You can spend a fun couple of hours there, I assure you.

Admission is free but you need a valid photo ID and the invitation that you can print from the AUC website (click here).

Celebrated Italian writer Stefano Benni in Cairo

The Italian Cultural Institute, under the patronage of the Minister of Culture prof. Shaker Abdel Hamid, and in collaboration with the National Center for the Translation, presents to the journalist and to the public the Arabic translation of "L'ultima lacrima" by Stefano Benni on Thursday March 22, 2012 at 11:00 AM.
The writer Stefano Benni, the translator Hussein Mahmoud, the Director of the National Center for the Translation prof. Faisal Younis, and the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Dante Arnaldo Marianacci will participate to the event.

On the same day at 6:00 PM will take place a "Two-voice meeting": Stefano Benni will dialogue with Zain Abdul Hady. Houssein Mahmoud will moderate the event.

Both events will be provided by simultaneous translation and will take place in the theatre of ICC: 3, El Sheikh El Marsafi St., Zamalek.
Tel: 0020 2 27358791
Website: www.iiccairo.esteri.it
Facebook: Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo

TONIGHT : "Portraits of a Revolution: A conversation with photojournalist Eduardo Castaldo"

Tonight, Wednesday March 21, 2012 at 7:00 PM Baad El Bahr Cultural Association will present "Portraits of a Revolution: A conversation with Eduardo Castaldo".

Award Winning Italian photographer, Eduardo Castaldo, witnessed the uprising of the 2011 Egyptian revolution from the very beginning. Following rumors coming from Egypt, and following the events of the 25th January, on the 27th he decided with other friends to move to Cairo. He arrived on the 28th January and after settling down in a cheap hotel downtown, he went to Tahrir Square, few minutes before the end of the “Friday of Rage” prayer. As Eduardo says “…the people immediately started shouting those words we were going to listen constantly for the upcoming 15 days: "yaskot yaskot Hosni Mobarak!”

Eduardo will talk about his experience during the January revolution till the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak as well as of his previous work in Palestine. During the conversation a video about Eduardo's published and unpublished work will be projected. Introduction and chair: Gennaro Gervasio (The British University in Egypt)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in Naples, Eduardo Castaldo began working as a photojournalist in 2006. Since the beginning of his career, he has worked as an independent photographer. His first feature work was about the April 2007 garbage emergency in Italy, which made international news, after which he began working with several leading magazines. Until 2008, Castaldo worked primarily in the south of Italy, covering events and news related to mafia and crime, with a reportage about the mafia in "Camorra, Naples" that was widely published. At the end of 2008, he moved to Jerusalem. In Israel, he covered "Operation Cast Lead" from the Israeli Border and from inside Gaza Strip.
In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Castaldo started developing several feature projects; some completed and published, many ongoing. Part of the events in Egypt was covered exclusively for Time magazine, while the images produced independently were published worldwide. In May 2011, he temporary left the Middle East to work in Italy on different projects. He was the photographer on set for the upcoming movie by director Matteo Garrone. At that time, he also was on assignment in Italy covering news and style events.
In February 2012, Castaldo returned to the Middle East to develop new and ongoing projects about Israel, Palestine, and Egypt’s political and social issues. For his reportage from Cairo he got several awards, including two “Awards of Excellence” at the International Photographer of the Year and the 3d Prize at World Press Photo 2012 He is currently based between Jerusalem, Cairo and Italy.

Entrance fee: EGP 15 non members; free for members
Venue: Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art - 8, Champollion st. Downtown Cairo. Phone: 25784494

"Reflections on the Current Middle East", public presentation by Senior CNN Correspondent Ben Wedeman

On Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 8:00 PM THE ABRAHAM FORUM will present a special public presentation by Ben Wedeman, CNN Senior Correspondent, titled "Reflections on the Current Middle East".
The event will be held at St. John’s Church/Maadi (at the corner of Port Said Rd. and Rd. 17 in Maadi  - Cairo). For more information: www.maadichurch.org / tel. 23583085.

THE ABRAHAM FORUM in an initiative of St. John’s Church/ Maadi that has the primary goal of facilitating better understanding and contributing towards peaceful co-existence between the Middle East and the West, and Muslims and Christians, one of the most critical issues of our day.

EL TANBURA and, for the first time, YOUNG TANBURA live at El Tanbura Hall

A quarter of a century ago, in the city of Port Said, a group of Damma and Simsimia artists undertook the responsibility to gather, keep, and revive this musical legacy which was under the threats of loss and vanishing. These artists responded to Zakaria Ibrahim's call for establishing a new band to achieve those goals. This was the beginning of El Tanbura band.

In the first five years, the band successfully managed to gather 20 hours of that precious legacy which is orally transmitted through consecutive generations and had never been documented before. The band documented it in writing, recording, video, and photography. As important are the live performances which have continued over 24 years and through which the band presents regular, weekly shows on the beach of Port Said. These shows are presented free to the people of the city whose ancestors had helped in creating this special heritage.

The band also presents two annual festivals held in the city streets: one is held in the spring and the other on Victory Day 23r (of December) which commemorates the peoples' victory over the tri-partite attack of France, Britain and Israel in 1956. The resistance songs which the people created during this attack and after have become an important part of the band's repertoire. The band has continued to compose new patriotic songs for other situations and events, such as the Israeli occupation of Palestine., the American invasion of Iraq, the 50th anniversary of the nationalization of the Suez Canal, the war of 1956, the revolution of 25th January - during which the band performed often in Tahrir square - and, most recently, the first anniversary of this same revolution for which they composed the "Aadi El Dalma" song.

In 2003, under the direction and encouragement of El Mastaba, the members of El Tanbura established a school in Port Said for teaching a new generation this art of singing, percussion, instruments and dancing. Young Tanbura, as it is called, is run by Mohsen El Ashry, and this young band has developed to the point that they perform with a high level of professionalism in Port Said, Cairo, Alexandria, and other places.*

This coming Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 9:00 PM they will perform for the first time in El Tanbura Hall along with El Tanbura band. Ticket: 20 pounds delivered at the front counter.

* Notes prepared by El Mastaba Center for Egyptian Folk Music

INTERNATIONAL UNDERWATER ARTISTS EXHIBITION in Dahab

This is so original that, even if it does not take place in Cairo (for obvious reasons, .. the Nile water is too murky), I think it deserves support.

THE INTERNATIONAL DAHAB ART FESTIVAL, Underwater Artists Exhibition, will take place on March 24 (opening at 10:00 AM), and March 25, 2012 at the Dahab Divers Hotel, Light House,  Dahab, South Sinai.

The artists participating are Abd Elwahab Abd Elmohsen (EGY), Farghali Abdel Hafiz (EGY), Abeer Mostafa (EGY), Grégory CHENU (FRA), Ahmed Abd Elkreem (EGY), Joke Raes (BEL), Alexandra Stock (USA), Maison AlSaleh (UAE), Bernard Garo (SUI), Mehreen Hasan (PAK), Branislava Nikolic (AUT), Maia Stefana (ROU), Carole Le Pers (FRA), Mohamed Negm (GBR), Christopher Kuhl (USA), Rasha Amin (EGY), Craciun Anamaria (ROU), Shayma Kamel (EGY), Dinesh Revankar (IND), Taher Abdelazeem (EGY), Enas Elsadiek (EGY), Ursula Rohde (GER), Fady Aladdin (EGY).
The exhibition is curated by Enas Elsadiek.

It even seems that, through the Sponsors support, exhibition viewers will get a discount on accommodation, and one guided dive to the exhibition (figure that! no parking stress). CLEG is not involved in this though so, to get accommodation information please visit: www.Dahabdivers.com, while for reservation contact: Elsaharartgallery@yahoo.com

Sponsored by:
Elsahara Art Gallery, Dahab Divers Hotel, www.dahabdivers.com , Ministry of Culture- Sector of fine Arts, www.fineart.gov.eg/, and Star of Dahab Hotel, www.starofdahab.com

"Revival of Ancient Egyptian Music" - Lecture

The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) will present a lecture on ‘Revival of Ancient Egyptian Music’ on Wednesday March 21, 2012 at 5.30 PM at its premises at 23, Talaat Harb St, Downtown Cairo.

The lecture will be delivered by renowned Egyptian musicologist Prof.Dr Khairy El Malt. There will also be an exhibition of ancient Egyptian musical instruments as well as traditional Indian musical instruments.
Prof Dr Khairy El Malt is Professor of Music Education at the Helwan University. While his specialty is playing the violin, Prof Khairy El Malt obtained his doctorate in Music and Music Education from the University of Leipzig, Germany and has founded the national project for revival of ancient Egyptian music. He established the first diploma in the world for study of Pharaonic music and later introduced a Masters degree in the subject in Helwan University. He is the recipient of several awards for his pioneering work in this field.

The backdrop to the lecture will be the on-going exhibition of paintings on ancient Egyptian and Indian art titled ‘India and Egypt : Mirror Images’ by Youssef Damoum which is being displayed at the Centre.

For further details, please contact MACIC at:
Tel: 23933396 / 23960071
Fax: 23936572
e-mail: macic@indembcairo.com

JITKA CECHOVA at the Manial Palace

The Czech pianist Jitka Cechova (click here for bio) will play on Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 8:00 PM in the Golden Room of the Mohamed Ali Palace in Manial (aka Manial Palace, click here for details). The program will feature music from the great romantics Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Smetana.

NUBANOOR (Nubian Lights) at El Tanbura Hall

"Amandujr" is an ancient Nubian legend about the Nile. It tells how people drowned beneath the currents of the world's greatest river never die and how their souls continue to live deep in the River bed.

Nubian people felt a great affinity with nature, living their lives in accordance with the seasons and continual ebb and flow of the Nile - the earliest Nubian songs were inspired by their farming origins. Nubian hand drums, known as "Duff" (fashioned from goat skins and wood) were thought to be a key link between their people and their environment, with the ability to produce the sounds of Fire, Water and Air through complex rhythms. In addition to songs for cultivation and harvesting the Nubian people sang epic poetry of Love and religion, recognising both Islam and Christianity.

Nubians regarded themselves as singers with songs for every occasion from birthing songs with accompanying rituals, in which a new born baby would have its face bathed in the Nile with food thrown into the river as an offering to the souls of spirits in the Nile, through to tender songs known as "Azaa", performed to mark the death of loved ones. Dance also played a central role in their culture with a dance called "Ferri" representing the movement of "Bulti" fish swimming through the waves.

The Nubian way of life remained relatively constant until the modern world began to encroach on the Nubian people's environment through the first stages of the construction of the Aswan dawn in 1902. Traditional lands and sacred areas were flooded during 1912 and 1933 leading to the displacement of the Nubians who began to migrate to other areas in Egypt, with an especially large concentration of Nubian people taking residence in Cairo. The Nubian homelands were lost forever in 1964 during the controversial construction of the Aswan High Dam during the Nasser period. While some migrants made new settlements elsewhere in Aswan, known somewhat unfortunately as the "Valley of Hell" the majority of the Nubian people sought refuge across Egypt in this final migration.

In Cairo Mr El Said Gamal established the first incarnation of the NubaNoor group in 1962. The ensemble was notable for featuring the finest Nubian singers and composers of the age including "Abdullah Batt", "Abou Mirghani", "Saleh Abbas". Generations later the band can still be found performing traditional Nubian music deep in the Cairo metropolis. Their repertoire may have expanded to include songs of the deep sorrows felt by the Nubians from the loss of their traditional lands, and nostalgia for their way of life however alongside this meditation on events of the 20th century; NubaNoor continue to perform poetic love and praise songs with their unique rhythms and cultural heritage.

NubaNoor will play on Thursday March 15, 2012 at 9:00 PM at El Tanbura Hall (click here for details).
Tickets sell for 20EGP at the door.

(This biography has been prepared by El Mastaba. For more information contact them at 010 3171 762 or write to info@elmastaba.org )

Artists from Today's Syria at the Mashrabia Gallery

Yousef Abdelke / Heba Akkad / Assem Al Basha / Mounir Al Shaarani / Tarek Boteihy / Naser Hosain / Abdulla Murad / Yaser Safy / Edwar Shahda / Fadi Yazjy / Yamen Yousef / Nasouh Zaghloula

Mashrabia Gallery presents a group exhibition of Syrian artists who are currently living and working in Syria, despite the difficult situation.
Through this exhibition the organizers at Mashrabia Gallery hope that the already well-known as well as the younger Syrian artists will have the possibility of gaining an even broader international visibility.
Followers of the Cairo art scene will be able to enjoy a wide spectrum of techniques, such as paintings, graphics, drawings, photography and calligraphy, as well as a variety of different styles.

The exhibition will run until March 29, 2012.

Sing Egyptian Woman: Final 16

For those that haven't already caught up with the buzz around the contest for Egyptian female singers, here is a link to Sing Egyptian Woman: Final 16 where your vote helps decide who gets to make it to the world stage and recording studios in New York.

CINEMA: DOX BOX Global Day: A Syrian Film Program

Cinematheque in collaboration with مُصِرّين (Mosireen) presents DOX BOX Global Day: a Syrian film program on Thursday March 15, 2012

Address: 19A Adly Street, Flr 5, Downtown

Program
7:00 pm Step by step - 22mins
Directed by Oussama Mohammed

7:30 pm Black Stone - 62 mins
Directed by Nidal al Dibs

8:45 pm Silence - 31mins
Directed by Rami Farah

9: 30 pm Surprise Film

More information on the Festival :

Recognized as the leading documentary film festival in the Arabic-speaking world, DOX BOX is an international festival held in Syria since 2008. As a statement against the regime and due to obvious disruption of activities on the ground, the festival organizers decided that it would not be held this year.

In its place, DOX BOX organizers are collaborating with the Network of Arab Arthouse Screens (NAAS), and ArteEast, a New York-based international arts organization dedicated to showcasing the arts of the MENA region on a global stage, and collaborating with the most important International Documentary Film Festivals and Cinema Houses, to hold "DOX BOX Global Day" from March 14th to 16th.

Nine Syrian documentary films; ranging from 70s till this moment will be screened globally within three days, in cinemas and within the programs of International Film Festivals.

DOX BOX Global Day is offered to participants with all screening fees and theatrical rights waved so that it can serve as a platform to engage a worldwide audience with the complex situation in Syria and foster dialogue around a selection of Syrian documentaries that provide a nuanced perspective on this moment in Syrian history.

DOX BOX released the following message:

“It’s March 15th; the anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, and the closing night of the “missing” DOX BOX edition. So, here we are, carrying the best of Syrian documentary films to screen parts of the Syrians’ lives back from the seventies, and to tell more about Syria, what it is, who we are, and maybe give a glance of what actually made the country rise up shouting for freedom.”

DOX BOX Global Day films are:
- "Everyday Life in a Syrian Village" by Omar Amiralay 1974
- "Step by Step" by Oussama Mohammad 1978
- "A Flood in Baath Country" by Omar Amiralay 2003
- "Before Vanishing" by Joude Gorani 2005
- "Black Stone" by Nidal Al-Dibs 2006
- "Zabad" by Reem Ali 2006
- "Silence" by Rami Farah 2006
- "Six Ordinary Stories" by Meyar Al Roumi 2007
- “Tournesols - Al-Rastan” by anonymous 2011

Cinema

Wednesday March 14, 2012 Les Journees du Films Francophones at the French Insitute
6:30 PM
Da Monzon, la conquête de Samanyana
Directed by Sidy Fassara Diabaté
Mali

Thursday March 15, 2012 - Les Journees du Films Francophones at the French Institute
6:30 PM
Mademoiselle Chambon
Directed by Stéphane Brizé
France

8:30 PM
Une chaîne pour deux !
Directed by Frédéric Ledoux
Belgium

Saturday March 17, 2012

- IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE by Wong Kar-Wai at the Arthopologie Gallery in Zamalek, 6:00 PM

Movies at Darb 17 18 in March

Cinema al Fourn March selection at Darb 17 18.

Films begin at 8:00 PM
All films are subtitled in English
Ticket: 10 LE

Wednesday March 14, 2012
Three Colors: White* (1994) - France/Poland/Switzerland, Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski

A black comedy set in Paris, the film depicts Karol Karol, a shy man who, after being left by his wife in humiliating circumstances, loses his money, his residency, and his friends. As a deeply ashamed beggar in Warsaw, Karol begins his effort to restore equality to his life through revenge. This film illustrates the second theme of the Three Colors trilogy, equality, through the twin desires of the protagonist Karol Karol.*Mature audiences

Monday March 19, 2012
Three Colors: Red* (1994) - France/Poland/Switzerland, Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski

The final film of The Three Colors Trilogy, which examines the French Revolutionary ideals; it is preceded by Blue and White. Kieślowski had announced that this would be his final film, which proved true with the director's sudden death in 1996. Red is about fraternity, which it examines by showing characters whose lives gradually become closely interconnected, with bonds forming between two characters who appear to have little in common.*Mature audiences only

Wednesday March 21, 2012
Secret Sunshine (Miryang) (2007) - South Korea, Director: Le Chang-dong

A master of intensely emotional human drama, director Lee Chang-dong is a luminary of contemporary Korean cinema, and hi place on the international stage was cemented by this stirring and unpredictable work examining grief and deliverance. An effortless mix of lightness and uncompromising darkness, Secret Sunshine stars Cannes best actress winner Jeon Do-yeon as a widowed piano teacher who moves with her young son from Seoul to her late husband's provincial hometown for a fresh start. Quietly expressive, supple filmmaking and sublime performances distinguish this remarkable portrayal of the search for grace and tragedy.

Monday March 26, 2012
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – USA, Director: Stanley Kubrick

2001: A Space Odyssey is Stanely Kubrick's dazzling achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) first visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump-cuts ever) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality.

Wednesday March 28, 2012
The Tree of Life (2011) – USA, Director: Terrence Malick

This stunningly original triumph from visionary director Terrence Malick follows the life journey of Jack O'Brien (played by an adult as Sean Penn), the eldest son of a fractured Texas family. Brad Pitt delivers a powerful performance as the cataclysmic force of nature in Jack's world, his complex and rigidly authoritarian father. Hailed as a visually breathtaking masterpiece by critics and audiences alike, The Tree of Life won the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor.

ART FACTORY SALE at Townhouse Gallery

More than 60 works of art by some of Egypt’s best known artists, as well as emerging artists, will be on sale for 5 hours only on Sunday 18 March at the Factory, Townhouse Gallery, Hussein El Me-mar St., Off Mahmoud Bassiouny St., Downtown Cairo. Selling will begin at 5:00 pm and will continue until 10:00 pm.

Half of the proceeds of Art Factory Sale will go to the artists and the other half will support El Fann Midan, a major cultural initiative that aims at making art part of people’s daily life. El Fann Midan is Egypt’s biggest and fastest growing cultural celebration presented in the streets and squares of 12 Egyptian cities on the first Saturday of every month. El Fann Midan will be celebrating its first Anniversary on Saturday 7 April.

Art Factory Sale will include works by Mohamed Abla, Hani Rashed, Shadi El Noushoukati, Hamdy Reda, Moataz Nasr, Omar El Fayoumi, Shaymaa Aziz, Mohamed Menissy, Amr Fikry, Suzy El Masry, Houreya El Sayed, Yasser Gerab, Ahmed Magdi, Assem Sharaf, Britt Ghali, Maher Diab, Reda Abdel Rahman, Emad Abou Grain, Sameh Ismail, and many more. A great opportunity to benefit and contribute!

For inquiries please call: 01223149569

DCAF Festival Mar 29 - Apr 14, 2012

Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), Egypt’s first-ever international multi-disciplinary contemporary arts festival, will take place starting off on Thursday March 29 till Saturday April 14, at multiple sites in downtown Cairo. D-CAF will include local, regional and international music, theatre, dance, visual arts and film by cutting-edge artists from Egypt, the Arab world, and beyond. In addition to featuring established downtown cultural spaces and theatres, D-CAF will break new ground by using non-traditional sites such as historical buildings, storefronts, alleyways, and rooftops as sites for performance, events, and installations, to engage audiences and performers with the city in a new way.

With its diverse and high-quality programming, D-CAF aspires to become one of the most important annual Arab art events, reaching out to a broad spectrum of Egyptian audiences, creating bridges between Arab artists and international curators and programmers, and capitalizing on downtown Cairo’s unique cultural, social and architectural heritage. D-CAF aspires to capitalize on the newly found freedom of Egypt and its society to present to its audiences with new creative visions for the future.

For more information and program, visit d-caf.org.

Kiosque Francophone by IFE

The Kiosque de Libraires et Editeurs Francophones continues its programme on Friday 9 March and Saturday 10 March, 2012.



Please find a rough translation of the program below:

Friday, March 9
11:30 AM to 12:30 PM : Story Time

Get caught by the magic of stories ...(For children)
with Christelle Mange Rania Amin

2:00 - 4:00 PM : Meeting with Golo, designer
BD (proposed by Oum El Dounia library)

Golo will all tell you and show you, in pencil
hand, how one gives birth to a band
drawn. (young people - open to all)

Saturday, March 10
Opening of the library
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

10:00 AM to 12:00 PM: Quizzes with schools (continued)

2:00 to 6:00 PM: Workshop with graphic artist Golo

(Open to experienced amateurs and students of Fine Art, by registration)

3:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Workshop "How to learn a text? "

A different approach and passionate learning. Following the workshop, Gerard Cohen-Zardi invites you to a moment of reverie you in interpreting texts which mixes theater and poetry (Open to all)

The Institute hosts a unique collection of original drawings of cartoonist Golo
till Friday March 15, 2012.

Cairo International Jazz Festival 2012

The organizers have setup the website where you can get all information about performers, venues, and the complete program of the Cairo International Jazz Festival 2012 taking place from March 15 to March 18, 2012.

See http://www.cairojazzfest.com/

"La Preuve du Contraire" at the Rawabet Theatre

Egyptian Theatre Director Abir Ali presents “La Preuve du Contraire” at the Rawabet Theatre on Tuesday 6, Wednesday 7, and Thursday 8 March 2012 at 8:00 PM.

The play, written by Swiss writer Olivier Chiacchiari, was translated into Arabic by the International Association for Creativity and Training (IACT) within the Creative Forum for Independent Theatre Groups in 2011. It has been made accessible to Egyptian and Arab directors and thus audience in the region.
Abir Ali, is an independent director who is known for her proximity to the Egyptian audience. Her plays deal with problems closely linked to the Egyptian society.

BIKYACHELLA at Bikya Cafe, March 1 to 3, 2012

Bikya Cafe presents BIKYACHELLA: Three Days of Festivities (including musical and stand-up comedy acts) from Thursday March 1 to Saturday March 3, 2012 at the Bikya Cafe in Heliopolis. Visit the Facebook event page for more information. Events start at 7:00 PM.