It used to be that the Eids were the seasons most associated with marathon film viewing, but come this summer, cinemas will be releasing more local films than audiences could possibly know what to do with. Not only has the messy breakup between Al-Arabia Company and the conglomerate of Oscar / El-Nasr / El-Massa blown a significant chunk of last summer’s revenues, the fight for screen space has meant that 21 films produced in 2006 have been forced to wait for a 2007 release.

Add to that the 12 or so flicks wrapping up for the upcoming summer squeeze and you have close to 25 films set to hit the box office this season alone.

As the distribution heavies battle it out, word is that both will be forced to produce fewer prints of their films to make them worth the money. The move will ultimately mean a drop in individual ticket sales as films will be available at fewer cinemas. The sheer volume of offerings will also dictate shorter runs in order to cram in as many different films as possible.

Each side is running with one major release: Al-Arabia has the distribution rights for Mohamed Saad’s next comedy, Karkar; Oscar / El-Nasr / El-Massa acquired the new Adel Imam-Mervat Amin vehicle Morgan Ahmed Morgan. Good News Group is reportedly pouring a whopping LE 27 million into the latter, and rumor has it that Al-Arabia has refused to screen the comedy in its theaters.

Along with Good News, Al-Arabia and industry-newcomer Rotana, Arab companies with high stakes in the Egyptian cinema industry have opened the doors to hordes of Arab actresses. Set to become the most familiar face is Tunisian-born Dorra, who was pleasantly surprised when Youssef Chahine offered her a role in his new film Heya Fawda (It’s Chaos) alongside Menna Shalaby and Khaled Saleh. Dorra’s luck held out when Youssry Nasrallah then picked her for Hadiqat El-Asmak (Fish Garden), starring fellow Tunisian Hend Sabry and Amr Waked. She was also cast in El-Awela Fel-Gharam (First Lesson in Love), starring Hany Salama and directed by Mohamed Aly.

The Tunisian onslaught continues with Fatma El-Nasser, who will appear alongside Syria’s Reem Abdel-Aziz in A’al Hawa (On Air), which is currently in pre-production under the direction of Ihab Lame’e.

Mustafa Qamar (left) as a confused psychiatrist in Essabet El-Doctor Omar

Syrian actress Heba Nour is shooting Rotana-backed Andaleeb El-Dokki (Dokki Nightingale) with comedian Mohammed Heneidy, and Jordanian Mais Hamdan (who debuted in the ‘Saudi’ film Keif El-Hal?) will star in Shar’rea 18 (Road 18) with Donya Samir Ghanem.

Hamdan’s sister, singer May Selim, has also been offered a few scripts.

Moroccan Sanaa Mozyan, who disappeared after her acclaimed debut in El-Bahethat An El-Horeya (The Freedom Seekers), returns in Ashraf Haramy (The Honest Thief) with Tamer Abdel-Monem. Sherif Mounir, Syrian Joumana Murad and Lebanese Dolly Chahine will co-star in El-Shayateen (The Devils) by Ahmed Abou-Zeid. Keep an eye on funnyman Hany Ramzy who stands out with the Lebanese Group, The Four Cats, in Dabet We Arbaa Qotat (An Officer and Four Cats).

Currently wrapping up in time to join the summer box-office race is Khalij Na’ama (Na’ama Bay), a new romantic comedy with an ensemble cast headed by Ghada Adel and Syrian actor Bassem Bakhour. The film also marks the cinema debut of Egyptian singers Ahmed Fahmy, Mahmoud El-Esseily and May Kassab. Produced and directed by Adel’s husband, Magdy El-Hawary, the movie was shot on location in Sinai, including Sharm El-Sheikh and Saint Catherine. The cast and crew were then whisked off to Greece for additional scenes.

Khalij Na’ama screenwriter Ahmed El-Beih’s script focuses on a group of young people whose personal lives and private businesses were severely hurt in the aftermath of the 2005 terrorist attack in Sharm El-Sheikh. The story’s main focus is Jana, played by Adel, who is unhappily married to Shaher (Bakhour), a cutthroat businessman working in Athens. When she returns to Sharm to visit her mother, she starts to renew her relationship with old flame Amr (Fahmy, from boy band Wama), whose gift shop was damaged in the bombing.

Behind the camera, another juicy plot unfolded between Adel and Kassab, who plays a Bedouin girl in the film and who was a hit as Shawqia in last Ramadan’s Tamer wi Shawkeyya. During the shooting of a scene which brought the two together, Adel reportedly criticized Kassab for her imperfect Bedouin accent and forgetting her lines, to which Kassab retorted “I am not acting — like you — with my husband’s money.”

We can’t all be married to the producer, after all.

Another singer currently filming is Mustafa Qamar, who once again teams up with director Aly Idris for Essabet El-Doctor Omar (Doctor Omar’s Gang). A romantic comedy bearing a striking similarity to their previous offering, Harim Karim (Karim’s Women, 2005), this film was written by Zeinab Aziz, the director’s wife. The plot revolves around successful psychiatrist Omar, who gets personally entangled in the problems of his female patients due to his odd methods of treatment.

Omar ends up falling in love with one of them, a translator played by Yasmine Abdel-Aziz who came on board two days before shooting began. The flick was originally slated for production by Arab Screen Company, which released both Harim Karim and Qamar’s TV serial Aly Ya Weeka, but was poached by Al-Massa Company, which offered up a bigger distribution and production package.

A number of producers are going the opposite direction, with smaller budgets following the success of last year’s sleeper hit Awqat Faragh (Free Time). Elaqat Khasa (Intimate Relationships) marks the return of director Ihab Lame’e after his box-office flop Min Nazret Ein (At First Sight) four years ago. This phenomenon of good scripts being green-lighted with low budgets might spur the local independent cinema and foster the development of an Egyptian Art House style.

Elaqat Khasa is an ensemble drama starring a group of newcomers including Ahmed Falawkas, Lebanese singer Tatyana, Syrian-born Samar Abdel-Aziz, Aya Mahmoud Hemeda, Ahmed Abdel-Nour and Sara Bassam. Screenwriter Nabil Ezzat revealed he had written the first draft seven years ago but was consistently rejected by different producers because the plot tackles premarital relationships between teens in Egypt.

After Africano (2001), onscreen sweethearts Ahmed El-Sakka and Mona Zaki returned to South Africa, where they shot a few scenes for their next romantic drama Taymour wi Shafika, penned by Tamer Habib (Sahar El-Layali) and helmed by film editor Khaled Mare’e in his directorial debut. The typical love story follows the two title characters, who are separated when their families disapprove of the union.

Sticking with the tried-and-true formula of slapstick comedy is Ahmed Adam who plays a blind music teacher who gets his big break after singing at a wedding. Sabaho Kedb (Lies in the Morning) is directed by Mohammed El-Naggar and features Amira El-Aidy and Amira Fathy.

Ramez Galal will appear in Ahlam El-Fata El-Taesh (Dreams of a Reckless Boy), his first starring role on the big screen. Also starring are Nelly Karim and Nashwa Mustafa.

Another ‘dreamy’ film is Ahlam Haqiqiya (Real Dreams), Hanan Turk’s final pre-hijab picture.

Last and most likely least, Abla Kamel returns with her routinely unfunny characterization in the new Sobky production Bolteya El-Ayma (literally Swimming Bolteya). et