The Minister’s Cut

G UESTS ATTENDING the mid-April opening of the 11th National Feature Film Festival had an unexpected treat in store for them. For the first time ever, audiences got to watch Al-Barie (The Innocent, 1986) in its complete version.

Starring Ahmed Zaki and directed by the late Atef El-Tayyeb, the film came as a tribute to these great talents. Back in 1986, a committee of three VIPs formed to screen the controversial film. Its members were then-Minister of Interior Ahmed Roushdy, Minister of Defense Moushir Abu Ghazala, and Minister of Culture Ahmed Heikal. The committee decided to slash the film in a way that badly affected its flow; even the closing scenes were missing, so nobody got to see how the film ended.

Restoring the film and screening it for the first time was the festival’s farewell gesture to the late Ahmed Zaki.

M EDIA PROFESSOR Laila Abdel-Meguid was chosen to become the first director of the Press Heritage Center, which will be set up by Cairo University with supervision and funding from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Dar El-Kutub.

The center will compile, document and preserve the history of the Egyptian press, which began with the publishing of Al-Waqai Al-Masriyya in 1828.

E VEN IN DEATH, Ahmed Zaki continues to make headlines. The latest news has to do with Emad Eddin Adib’s defamation suit against Adel Hammouda, editor-in-chief of the weekly Sawt El-Uummah newspaper.

In an article published hours after Zaki’s death, Hammouda accused Adib of exploiting the dying actor by involving him in his production of Halim (The biopic of Abdel Halim Hafez).

Hammouda says that although Adib claimed to be Zaki’s closest friend, he was not there for him during his last hours, yet was quick to go to El-Beit Beitak (the immensely popular Channel 2 show) to mourn the actor before Zaki was even buried.

Adib says he is planning to squeeze Hammouda for a large sum of money, which he will then find a way to use to immortalize the great actor.

A NOTHER EMAD Eddin Adib story: newspapers are currently claiming Adib is in the process of stripping the Nile News channel of its best talents, including Hassan Hamed and wife Samiha Dahroug.

The team of ex-Nile News administrators and journalists are going to work at Adib’s newest venture: the first private news channel in Egypt, backed by Adib’s Good News 4 Me.

C OUNCILLOR TAREK El-Bishry’s writings are always worth reading. Especially so his latest book, Al-Gamaa Al-Wataniyya (the National Group), which was published by Dar El-Hilal.

The book is probably the most comprehensive and honest report on the history of national unity and Copt-Muslim relations. El-Bishry argues that tensions between the two factions of society were virtually non-existent throughout the nation’s long history. The strife today, he theorizes, is a result of a rampant feeling of insecurity, which gives birth to prejudice.

S EVEN BRONZE sculptures were stolen from sculptor Adam Henein’s garden in the Maryutiyya district last month.

The important sculptures date back to an early era of the artist’s work, 1953 to 1960, and include a bust of poet and artist Salah Jahin, three cat sculptures, and the famous “Boy Holding Fish” work.

The seven huge works were scattered around the large, crowded garden, leading investigators to theorize that they may have been hand-picked by the thieves.

T HE FAMOUS SHAABI (folk) singer Mohamed Roushdi at press time was in a coma in suite 502 of El-Salam International Hospital on the Maadi Corniche.

The septuagenarian artist and leading member of the generation of artists that rose to prominence in the 1960s owes his fame to his hit single Adawiyya, the lyrics of which were written by the great poet Abdel Rahman El-Abnoudy.

Roushdi and El-Abnoudy remain best friends to this day.

T HE SUPREME Council for Antiquities is preparing a new antiquities law to replace the current one, Law 117 for the year 1983.

According to Zahi Hawass, the SCA’s high-profile secretary-general, the old law is no longer suitable because the penalties it imposes for the crimes of antiquity trafficking are not strong enough.

The law will be presented to the People’s Assembly when it reconvenes for its next legislative season after the anticipated fall parliamentary and presidential elections.

S ARABIT EL-KHADEM, the only ancient Egyptian temple in Sinai, is scheduled to appear on tourist itineraries in the coming months.

The temple, southeast of Abu Zneima city in South Sinai, was recently restored at a cost of LE 10 million. Built in homage to Hat-Hor (the lady of Turquoise) in the 12th dynasty, the temple juxtaposes a number of turquoise mining caves that were used in ancient times.  et