Award-winning drama "Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story" from Yousri Nasrallah (Egypt) Now on DVD!

March 25, 2012 - PRLog -- ArtMattan Productions is pleased to announce the  release of the new DVD Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story, a 2-DVD set with three Egyptian films by prominent Egyptian filmmakers:

* The explosive "Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story," a film about the socio-political situation in Egypt where a journalist bravely records the stories of ordinary women who spin tales of their lives;

* The provocative "Fallen Angels Paradise," a comedy-drama about  social class clashes that was a premonition of the events of Tahari Square and the departure of President Mubarak;

* and the surprising short film Rotating Square that lets us look at an Islamic oriented society much more complex than we think as we watch two couples maneuver, seduce and murder to achieve their goal of leaving the country.

All three films had their US premiere in the context of the African Diaspora Film Festival.

SCHEHERAZADE, TELL ME A STORY

"The movie is refreshingly blunt in its feminist outrage, but Nasrallah never allows this to compromise character, humor, or artistry.” - CHICAGO READER

"Lively, swift, vibrantly colorful... the film is slyly aware of the daytime talk show as a vehicle for women's concerns." - NEW YORK TIMES

“A poignant tale of empowerment set in Cairo. A clarion call for the Middle East to emerge from the Middle Ages!” – NEWSBLAZE

SCHEHERAZADE: TELL ME A STORY is a tale ripped from today’s headlines and yet a clever reference to the myths and lore of the Middle East.

           Hebba, a television talk-show host, produces a successful political program on a privately owned network. Her husband, Karim, is the deputy editor-in-chief of a government-controlled newspaper. When his promotion is threatened by his wife’s meddling in opposition politics on her program, he sweet-talks her into avoiding controversy and devoting her program to other topics.

She begins a series of shows about women’s issues, revealing the stories of strong, resilient women who, like Scheherazade in A Thousand and One Nights, tell their tales to stay alive.  

Winner, Lina Mangiacapre Award - Venice Film Festival. Best Screenplay, Brussels International Independent Film Festival. Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival.

FALLEN ANGELS PARADISE

“Intriguingly modern in look and idiom, “Fallen Angels’ Paradise” convincingly depicts Cairo’s upper and lower depths in the surrealist story of a man who refuses to die” - VARIETY

“The talent and vision of filmmaker Fawzi and his staff are what carry this movie beyond a simple elaborate joke.” - REELTALK MOVIE

"This is an excellent, provocative work of art which deserves to be seen and will certainly be debated by those who experience its power and fury."  - FILM THREAT

FALLEN ANGELS PARADISE by prominent Egyptian director Ossam Fawsi, reaches out to the literary work of Jorge Amado, the Brazilian writer and his novel The Man Who Died Twice for his inspiration.  

A homeless man dies of an overdose in a popular Cairo neighborhood. He was once an ideal husband and represented security for his family. Then one day, everything changed. Upon his death his friends from the underworld drag the corpse around for a whole night of madness, drinking and hallucinating situations. A game with death where the dead man becomes more alive than the living and fallen angels live according to their own rules, laws and desires in the chaos of the Egyptian capital.

Winner, Best Director and Best Actor, Festival of Egyptian Cinema 2000; Winner, Best Supporting Actor, Alexandria Film Festival, Winner Golden Award, Damascus Film Festival.  Nominated, Golden Leopard, Locarno Film Festival.


ROTATING SQUARE

In ROTATING SQUARE, a short by Ahmed Hassouna, Sami and his wife Sarah are packing to move to the USA where they intend to open a restaurant. Rania, Sarah's sister, goes to their house to take them to the airport, but some unexpected and unforeseeable events take place in the apartment: games of seduction, murder and dead bodies to be disposed of. A surrealist comedy by Ahmed Hassouna who belongs to a new group of young promising Egyptian filmmakers.

SCHEHERAZADE: TELL ME A STORY.  Ehky ya Scheherazade. Directed by Yousry Nasrallah. With Mona Zaki, Mahmoud Hemida, Hassan El Raddad, and Nahed El Sebai. Written by Wahid Hamid. Cinematography by Samir Bahzan. Edited by Mona Rabei.  Produced by Misr Cinema Company. Egypt/2009/Color/Widescreen/134 mins. In Arabic with English subtitles.

FALLEN ANGELS PARADISE. Gannat Al Sheyateen. Director by Oussama Fawzi  with Mahmoud Hemida (Tabel), Lebleba (Hobba), Caroline Khalil (Salwa), Safwa (Shawkia), Amr Waked (Nonna), Serri Al Nagar (Adel), Salah Fahmi (Boussy), Saeed Al Saleh (George), Menha Al Batrawi (The Wife), Menha Zaytoun (The Aunt), Maged Kedwani (Atef). Produced by Al Batrik and Mahmoud Hamida, Cinematography by Tarek el Telmessani. Score by Fathi Salama. Egypt/2000/Color/79mins/ In Arabic with English subtitles.

ROTATING SQUARE by Ahmed Hassouna with Bassem Samra, Rasha Mahdy, Suheil El-Beltagui Karma. Executive Producer Mahamed El-Tuhamy, Cinematography by Nizar Shaker, Script by Hala Lutfy Score by Tamer Karawan, Editing by Khaled Mare'i. Egypt/2002/Color/14mins/ In Arabic with English subtitles.
All-Zone NTSC DVD.   An ArtMattan Productions DVD release.

Available for purchase directly from distributor at http://www.AfricanDiasporaVideo.com

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Held in NYC, Chicago, DC and Jersey City, the African Diaspora Film Festival (ADFF) features programs around urban, classic, foreign & independent films that explore the richness and diversity of the life experience of people of color all over the world.