Tips from the culture desk: Special heat dome film edition

There has been an apocalyptic “heat dome” hanging over our heads this month. Little can be done. We advise taking reprieve from the unbearable exterior world in Cairo’s many cinemas and independent screening halls, which offer cool, soothing darkness and an alternate universe of images to get lost in. This week, you can take refuge in a wide selection of art house screenings, and one surprisingly good big-budget action flick for those who aren’t quite up to anything conceptually rigorous.

Kurrasat Al Cimatheque #4 - August 16-20

On Sunday, Cimatheque launches the fourth iteration of screenings organized as part of its Kurrasat program — a pioneering series of workshops on Arabic-language film writing and curating the moving image. This is the first time the series will be screened in Cimatheque’s own recently opened, state-of-the art theater.

Each series is curated around a specific theme by an invited guest critic, who then leads open discussions with the public.Tunisian critic and film historian Ikbal Zalila organized this week’s films, which span the past decade and come from across the region. It’s a bit unclear what the curatorial drive behind the selection is, exactly; Zakila’s press text speaks of a certain lack of attention to aesthetics and style in the critical reception of Arabic films, in favor of focusing on plot and the associated political realities — a problem that's common to any form of cultural producton from the region, in general. But it's a solvent topic of discussion, still, and it will be interesting to see what comes out of the talks with Zakila.

The series kicks off on Sunday with Jilani Saâdi’s Bidoun 2, then continues with Ghassan Salhab's 1958, Tariq Teguia's Rome Rather than You, Ahmed Abdullah's Microphone and Tawfik Abu Wael's Thirst. 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bp4SbwvsYxM

All screenings will take place Cimatheque - Alternative Film Center on 19a Adly Street, Floor 5, Apt 28, downtown Cairo. All films in Arabic with English subtitles. Screenings start at 6 PM. Free entry. Click here for the full schedule.

Shashet Townhouse - Wednesday, August 19

Townhouse’s library program opened early this year with the widely attended Iman Mersal salon in July, and now picks back up with its monthly screening series, Shashet Townhouse, which debuted last spring under the guidance of Sarah Bahgat. The program was devised to create a platform for viewing and discussing recent work by local, emerging filmmakers. This Wednesday, the evening starts off with The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375 (2014) by Omar El Zohairy, which was selected to compete at the Cinefoundation short films competition at Cannes International Film Festival in 2014, to be followed by Muhammad Moustafa’s The Tree (2015) and Maged Nader’s Daily Visit (2011) (notably, Nader is an alum of Cimatheque's Analogue Zone workshops).

Townhouse Library, 10 Nabrawy Street, off Champollion Street, 2nd floor, downtown Cairo. Films are in Arabic with English subtitles. Screening starts at 7:30 pm. Free entry.

Barefoot Gen at the Japan Cairo Foundation - Thursday, August 20

To commemorate the 70 years that have passed since the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the islands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the office of the Japan Cairo Foundation will host a screening of Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen, 1983). The animated feature, based on a Manga series carrying the same title, follows the lives of a 6-year-old boy, Gen, and his family in Hiroshima as the end of WWII nears, showing the deterioration of their lives in the months leading up to the final US assault.

Japan Foundation Cairo Office at the Cairo Center Building, 5th Floor of 106 Kasr El-Ainy Street, Garden City, Cairo. Arabic subtitles, free entrance.

Welad Rizk - All week

Rowan El Shimi and Amany Ali Shawky just went to see this mainstream action-packed crime film by Tarek al-Erian, and found it to be very well made. The film stars Ahmed Ezz, Ahmed El-Fishawy, Amr Youssef, Ahmed Daoud and Karim Qassem, with a supporting role from veteran actor Sayed Ragab. Set near the densely populated, impoverished neighborhood of Misr al-Qadeema, the story follows a gang of four brothers who carry out small-scale robberies around the city. Welad Rizk offers a tight script, excellent camera work and several moments that leave the audience laughing. It’s a definite go-to if you’re looking for a well-made, high-budget, mainstream option this week.

The film is available at several cinemas all over the country at different times and ticket prices. Check your local listings.