Shenawy speaks of best art works of 2017

The veteran Egyptian critic, Tarek el-Shenawy, gives Egypt Today's readers a review on the best art works of 2017.

Soap Operas

Speaking about the best soap operas in 2017, Shenawy spoke of “Haza el-Ma’asa” (This evening), pointing out that it was the best this year, “This series has its own magical touch in addition to its new story line.”

Shenawy elaborated that the famous Egyptian director Kamla Abou Zekry created an ingenuity mood in “Wahet el-Ghroub” (Sunset Oasis) soap opera and the Egyptian director Hussein el-Manabawy showed a strong social stance through “Halawt el-Dunia” (The Sweetness of Life) soap opera. “Each of the three series has a point of strength, but from my point of view, 'Haza el-Ma’asa' is the best soap opera in 2017,” He explained.

According to Shenawy, the best actor in 2017 is the talented Yasser Galal for his dazzling performance in his first leading role in “Zel el-Rais” (The President’s Shadow).
"The best actress in 2017 is Hend Sabry for her role in “Halawet el-Dunia." Shenawy elaborated that if he could give the title of best actress to two actresses, he would also choose Menna Shalaby for her role in “Wahet el-Ghroub”.

Shenawy continued, “The script of 'Halawet el Dunia', written by the rising script writers, Asmaa Abdel Khalek and Angy el-Kassem, is the best in 2017.”

Concerning the script of “ El-Gamaa, Part 2” (The Group, Part 2) soap opera by the veteran Egyptian writer Waheed Hamed, Shenawy admitted that Hamed is definitely one of the greatest Egyptian writers and that the soap opera was much-needed, but it lacked a glow.

“The super star Adel Emam is a phenomenon, as he is the only comedian in the world to stay on top for more than 40 years; yet, he was the worst in 2017, with his series 'Afareet Adly Allam' (Adly Allam’s Ghosts),” Shenawy explained that Emam’s popularity and charisma were the only factors that ensured high viewership for this year’s series.

Shenawy’s award for the best director in 2017 goes to director of “Haza el-Ma’asa" Tamer Mohsen and director of "Wahet el-Ghroub" Kamla Abou Zekry. He said, “Kamla Abou Zekry has a clear luster, her directing style is creative; she cares about every single detail.” Shenawy admitted that the three directors of “Sabea Gar” (My Farthest neighbor), Ayten Amin, Nadine Khan and Heba Yousry, also have an amazing youthful spirit that appeared clearly in this successful series.

Movies

Although 2017 witnessed a group of high quality movies, like “Sheikh Jackson”, “Al-Asleen” (The Originals) and “Ali the Goat and Ibrahim”, the best movie was “Akhdar Yabes” (Withered Green). The best cinema actor was Maged el-Kidwany for his role in “Al-Asleen” and the best actress is Heba Ali for her role in “Akhdar Yabes”. He elaborated, “Heba Ali was amazing because she simply did not act; it was as if she was playing herself in real life.”
The best movie director is Mohamed Hammad, the director of “Akhdar Yabes”. However, Shenawy could not deny the excellence of Sherif Arafa, “I cannot deny the huge creative effort exerted by the veteran director Sherif Arafa in 'El-Kenz' (The treasure) movie.”

Songs
The best song writer is Amir Teima, best composer is Amr Moustafa and best singer is Amr Diab. “Diab is the best singer because his intelligence serves and protects his talent; for over 30 years, he has been on top,” Shenawy said,
The best female singer is Sherine Abdel Wahab; her voice simply sneaks to the hearts of the listeners. According to Shenawy, “Her voice has an amazing glow, but what Sherine really lacks is Diab's intelligence.’’

Shenawy commented on the General Prosecution’s decision to refer the Oscar-nominated movie, “Sheikh Jackson”, to an Azhar-led committee, expressing his point of view that any artistic work should not be judged or assessed by Al-Azhar or any other religious organization whether Islamic or Coptic.
The General Prosecution’s decision came after a legal complaint was filed by lawyer Abdel Rahman Abdel Bary against the filmmakers of “Sheikh Jackson”.

The lawyer, who serves as Secretary-General of the Bar Association’s Freedoms Committee, accused the movie of damaging the image of Islam and Egypt’s reputation abroad.
Shenawy added that the artistic syndicates along with the Ministry of Culture should prevent any kind of interference in drama from religious organizations. He further commented, “The religious organizations’ interference is acceptable only if the drama is a religious one.”