Dorra is a No-Show for "Misawar Qatel" Roundtable, Writer and Director Discuss the Film

Last Friday, November 30, the Cairo International Film Festival hosted a special panel discussion for the film "Misawar Qatel," which is the only Egyptian film to contend in the official competition.

A bizarre situation arose when the film's leading actress Dorra turned out to be absent at the beginning of the talk. Her fellow cast mates, along with the audience, soon discovered that she had suddenly pulled out of the talk without providing any reasons. This put the others representing the film in a rather embarrassing situation.

The film revolves around Ahmed, a photojournalist, who suffers from a mental illness that also enables him to see the future. When his wife is murdered, he tries to track down the killer. The end of the film reveals a crazy twist that completely changes his life.

A number of those involved in the film -- Eyad Nassar, Omar El Saeed, screenwriter Amr Salama, director Karem El-Adl -- gave short speeches after the film was screened at 9:30. They all said they hoped the film would be well received, and that after the roundtable, they would be going directly to Tahrir.

Amr Salama said that he imagined this disease, and later discovered after doing some research that it was a real disease! He also responded to negative commentary from journalists who said the pace of the film might bore audiences. Salama rebutted, saying that many who watched the film told him the pace was very fast.

Actor Eyad Nassar admitted that he was very intimidated to take on this role and that it took a lot of effort to play. Nassar also said he loves taking risks even if it fails, but he was very happy with the film and the experience of collaborating with everyone involved.

Director Karim El Adl gave a special thanks to Hany Adel, who created the soundtrack, and to Abdelsalam Moussa, the director of photography, for his excellent work. He expressed his pride in the finished product and the experience in general.

Producer Mohammed Eladl also spoke on the panel, saying that everyone from the film should thank the production company that supported them and embraced their talent and decided to have a different kind of experience with this film.