"Asham" to Represent Egypt at the 7th Oran Arab Film Festival

The Egyptian drama “ Asham," from director Maggie Morgan, will be screening at the 7th Oran Arab Film Festival in Algeria this month. Morgan is expected to attend the screening alongside one of the film's stars, Shady Habshy.

The film traces the interwoven lives of people across various social boundaries or “invisible walls” that separate Egyptians by religion, class, gender, employment, etc, following the January 25th, 2011 revolution. Of course the biggest character in the film is the teeming, monstrous metropolis of Cairo. In the film’s press release, director Morgan said the revolution breathed new life into the project: “Everyone was on a high and energized by the experience. This charge certainly went into the film.”

“Asham” has received a considerable critical praise: it won Best Director and Best Editing at the 3rd Malmo Arab Festival in Sweden earlier this month. It also received a special mention at the International Oriental Film Festival in Geneva. This week, it’ll also be competing in the 7th International Women's Film Festival of Salé in Morocco.