Not to be missed: From Valentine's with Medhat Saleh, Tango masters at Cairo Opera to The Hypnotist, Snow White films - Music - Arts & Culture

Al-Ahram Weekly

11-02-2025

Ahram Online highlights a selection of do-not-miss events this week (12-18 February) in Cairo.
New films across cinemas
Wednesday 13 February brings several new films to movie theatres across Egypt:
- Snow White, starring Mohamed Mamdouh, Karim Fahmy, Mariam Sherif, Nehal Kamal
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, starring Isla Fisher, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renee Zellweger, Leo Woodall, Gemma Jones
- Captain America: Brave New World, starring Harrison Ford, Giancarlo Esposito, Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez
- Mom, starring Francois Arnaud, Christian Convery, Emily Hampshire
Blue Iris - music
Friday 14 February, 8pm
Room Art Space & Café, 10 Etihad Al Mohamin St., Garden City
Blue Iris band celebrates Valentine's in a concert titled Blue Valentine's.
The band's line-up includes vocalists Anan Gouda, Sandy Essam, and Farida Saeed; guitarist Omnya Ali, pianist Tony Ibrahim, and Bishoy Fekry on bass guitar and saxophone.
Medhat Saleh - music
Friday 14 February, 8pm
Theatro Arkan, Arkan Plaza, Sheikh Zayed City, Cairo outskirts
Renowned singer will dedicate the evening to Valentine's celebrations with a concert dubbed Hob x Hob.
Saleh's best-known songs are Kawkab Tany (Another Planet), Wala Teswa Domoe (Not Worth the Tears), and El-Donia Alemetny (Life Taught Me), as well as dozens of film scores like Mafia, El-Beliatsho (The Clown), and Amir El-Zalam (Prince of Darkness), to name but a few.
He has released numerous albums and starred in several films, TV series, and plays.
Tablet Elsitt - music
Friday 14 February, 8pm
El-Sawy Culturewheel (El-Sakia), Zamalek, Cairo
The troupe consists of women percussionists.
Founded by folk music student and enthusiast Soha Mohamed in 2019, the group is restoring Egypt's musical heritage.
Wael El-Fashny - music
Saturday 15 February, 8pm
El-Sawy Culturewheel (El-Sakia), Zamalek, Cairo
El-Fashny is known for his improvisational performances of mawal, a Middle Eastern form of vocal music.
El-Fashny established his profile through collaborations with singers and bands, such as Mohamed Tharwat, Mahmoud El-Tohamy, Ihab Yunis, Mohamed Sa'ad, Cairokee, and Basata.
He has since made a name for himself as a leading performer in numerous shows.
Tango After Dark - dance performance
Saturday 15, Sunday 16 February, 8pm
Main Hall, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek, Cairo
When the night falls, the tango is revealed in its most authentic and pure form. Tango after Dark is an intimate and sensual performance with exquisitely danced choreography to the music by Astor Piazzolla.
The show is directed and choreographed by an Argentinian World Tango Champion German Cornejo, who dances in the show joined by his partner and World Champion Gisela Galeassi. The stage also features other renowned tango masters.
Andromida - music
Sunday 16 February, 8pm
Cairo Jazz Club, 197A 26th of July St., Mohandessin, Cairo
One of the oldest active rock bands in Egypt, Andromida was formed by Amr Hassan and Ehab Al Qalie (keyboard and vocals).
The band includes Hassan, Sherif El-Sharqawi (drums and vocals), and Ahmed Anwar (bass and vocals).
Founded in Alexandria in 1987, the band is widely known for performing some of Pink Floyd's most well-known songs.
The Hypnotist - film
Sunday 16 February, 7pm (doors open at 6.30pm)
Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, 1 Dr. Mahmoud Azmi Street, Zamalek, Cairo
The 2019 documentary directed by Arthur Franck, The Hypnotist, follows Finland's most famous hypnotist of the 1980s, Olliver Hawk, who was put on trial accused of fraud.
The film is a meditation on power, truth, and myths in Cold War Finland, told through the story of the Finnland's own Rasputin.
The film is in Finnish language with English subtitles.
Casino Badeea - music
Monday 17 February, 8pm
Room Art Space & Café, Spot Mall, New Cairo
Casino Badeea (pronounced as Casino badi3a) is an Oriental branch of the Bohemian project that focuses on Cuban rhythms and jazz.
The Casino Badeea presents early folkloric Egyptian tunes, taking listeners to the heart of Egypt in the 1920s.
The singers are Mariam Salem and Rehab Khattab accompanied by musicians on oriental instruments, such as oud, nay, and percussions.
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