Tips from the culture desk: Literature, classical music, theater — and the Oscars

Depending on where you are in the country, you can still can catch the performances or this year's musical Nile Project and/or the Rubayat El-Nil Shadow Puppetry tour (for more details see last week's tips). But there's also a great round of new arts happenings this week —  have a look.

Cairo Literature Festival — starts Saturday

The second Cairo Literature Festival (read about the first one here) opens at Beit al-Suheimy on Islamic Cairo’s Moez Street with guest of honor Ibrahim al-Koni. The prolific, award-winning Libyan novelist will be interviewed by Egyptian poet Ahmed al-Shahawy on Saturday at 7 pm. Several spaces in Cairo will host poetry recitals, literature readings and music events by around 30 artists from 15 different countries from the region, Latin America, Africa and Europe, through Thursday.

The full program can be found (in Arabic) here.

(now)here Dutch Contemporary Composer Portrait — Wednesday

As part of their rich chamber music program, the European-Egyptian Contemporary Music Society and the Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble present an evening of recent contemporary classical music compositions by four Dutch composers: Wilbert Bulsink, Mayke Nas, Michel van der Aa, and Bart de Vrees. Expect to be challenged, in a good way.

8 pm, February 17, Ewart Hall, at the American University in Cairo’s old campus in Tahrir Square, downtown Cairo. Free entry. See the Facebook event here.

Avant Scene Theater fest — until Thursday

The annual theater festival run by the French Institute is one of the few opportunities in Cairo to see performances by serious young independent theater troupes. For Avant Scene (previously named the Young Creators Festival) the institute hosts theater, clown and mime in competition and outside of competition in various spaces at its Mounira headquarters, from the theater to the cafeteria. All week until Thursday.

Started February 11, runs through February 18, every day starting 6 pm at the French Institute, Madraset al-Hoqouq al-Ferensia St., Mounira, Cairo. Full program here.

Oscars night at Zawya — Sunday

Zawya is hosting a nice one-off Oscars night by screening the two Arabic films nominated for this year's Academy Awards — both of which have been widely acclaimed: Naji Abu Nowar’s Theeb, which follows a child’s perilous adventure across the breath-taking landscape of the Arabian desert in 1916 (dubbed by the director “a Bedouin western”), and Basil Khalil’s Ave Maria, a comedy about what happens when a family of religious Israeli settlers invades the calm of a West Bank convent on the Sabbath.

Two back-to-back screenings, one starting at 7.3p, the other at 10 pm. Zawya is behind Odeon Cinema, 4 Abdel Hamid Said, off Talaat Harb St., downtown Cairo. See the Facebook event here.

Open-air theater in Port Said — Saturday

After participating in a 10-day intensive theater workshop by Belgian director Ruud Gielens and Egyptian writer Hussam Hilali, several young people will present a performance in a public setting. It's part of Mahatat for Contemporary Arts’ Face to Face program, which helps young artists in Delta cities and Port Said develop their artistic skills and perform to a wider audiences. The initiative comes at a critical time where authorities are cracking down on art in public space, so it’ll a great day to be in Port Said and catch the show.

The time and exact location will be announced later this week on the Facebook event page here.