Latest news with #CairoScene
CairoScene
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Aspiring Filmmakers Can Now Attend GFF Free of Charge
Aspiring Filmmakers Can Now Attend GFF Free of Charge El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) has opened applications for the 2025 edition of its CineGouna Emerge programme, offering young filmmakers, actors, critics, and content creators from Egypt, the Arab world, and Africa the chance to attend the festival entirely free of charge. Backed by the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the European Union in Egypt, the programme provides a full scholarship covering festival accreditation, domestic travel, accommodation, meals, and access to screenings, masterclasses, and networking events. 'CineGouna Emerge is the closest initiative to our heart,' GFF's Executive Director Amr Mansi tells CairoScene. 'By expanding it into a multi-track umbrella, we're ensuring every young talent—from filmmakers to actors, from critics to content creators—finds a place to learn, grow, and shine at GFF.' For 2025, the programme introduces several tracks. The flagship programme immerses filmmakers and industry newcomers in the festival's activities, while the SeeMe Track spotlights emerging actors, and Perspectives invites young photographers, journalists, and critics to cover the festival alongside GFF's media team. New this year is Emerge: Take Two, which welcomes alumni back as peer mentors. 'Many of our alumni now work actively in the film industry, and this year's expansion is about giving back,' adds Marianne Khoury, GFF's Artistic Director. Applicants must be aged 18–35, be students or graduates of film and media programmes, have worked on at least one publicly screened film or series, or be developing a cinema-related project. For the first time, the programme is also welcoming a new category: 'early-career filmmakers', open to those launching their careers regardless of age. Applications are open via the El Gouna Film Festival website until August 17th, 2025, with the festival scheduled to run from October 16th to November 24th.
CairoScene
4 days ago
- Business
- CairoScene
Inside the American Expo Bringing Deaf Muslims Together
Inside the American Expo Bringing Deaf Muslims Together Where hands speak and faith flows, the annual Deaf Muslim Expo reveals a culture rooted in connection, shaped by resilience, and lived in a language all its own. Now in its fourth year, the Deaf Muslim Expo brings deaf Muslims together in Dallas, Texas for a weekend centred on both faith and communication. The annual gathering offers Islamic teachings through sign language and creates opportunities for deaf Muslims to connect, share, and explore experiences often overlooked in mainstream religious life. The Expo is organised by the Global Deaf Muslim Foundation (GDMF), a nonprofit that supports deaf Muslims through events, resources, and interpreter access. Andaleeb Elayan, Executive Director of GDMF, also volunteers with the Expo. She works full-time as an accountant during the week and devotes evenings and weekends to the organisation whenever she can. This year's Expo features a range of sessions - all conducted in sign language - covering faith, health, employment and more. Some are practical, like helping attendees build resumes or navigate job applications. Others focus on education, connection, and making religious knowledge accessible. Interpreters are present throughout to help bridge communication gaps. Beyond the Expo, GDMF hosts events year-round to bring the community together. But organising and attending these gatherings isn't easy. Financial strain remains one of the biggest barriers. Many deaf Muslims save whatever they can just to attend, and stable employment remains out of reach for many. Interpreter access is another ongoing challenge. Many Muslim events still don't offer interpreters, often leaving deaf participants unable to engage. When GDMF provides its own interpreters, the cost quickly adds up. 'Certified interpreters ask for a minimum of two hours, even if it's only a one-hour event,' Elayan tells CairoScene. 'So it's usually USD 120. If it's more than two hours, we need a team of interpreters, because they can't interpret that long alone. It's more money.' Some deaf Muslims face added barriers based on background. Those from immigrant families may not speak English or the local spoken language and rely fully on sign language. This can make communication with hearing Muslims - who may only write or speak in a dominant language - especially difficult. In day-to-day life, tasks like getting a prescription, talking to a lawyer, or filling out immigration documents often require assistance. Many turn to community members and organisations like GDMF for help navigating these systems. 'In Islam, we respect community. The word is 'Omah' - that means everyone belongs. Nobody should be left out, including people with disabilities,' Elayan says. The foundation's work helps offer a community and belonging they may not get in other spaces. Deaf Muslim culture is layered and unique. It blends the values of the deaf community - like eye contact, tapping, and directness - with Islamic customs that may discourage such things, especially between genders. 'In hearing Muslim culture, it's not always acceptable to touch someone to get their attention, especially between genders,' Elayan explains. 'But in deaf Muslim culture, a gentle tap on the shoulder is often necessary to communicate.' And yet, the barriers persist. Many mosques don't offer sign language interpretation. Friday khutbahs and community lectures are rarely captioned. Islamic knowledge is often passed through oral and auditory traditions - leaving Deaf Muslims on the outside, looking for access. 'Sometimes Muslim events forget to provide interpreters,' Elayan says. 'So we reach out to find one. We do everything we can so others can feel more included.' That exclusion can begin early. Without full access to language or community support, some deaf Muslims grow up without guidance on social expectations. 'Some deaf people didn't get taught manners or boundaries because they didn't have the language early on,' she said. 'We try to educate them with Islamic principles. The word is 'adab', which means manners. We try to teach that. We try to help each other grow.' That effort includes addressing differences in social norms. In deaf culture, people can be more blunt or direct. That can sometimes clash with expectations in Muslim communities, where privacy is often valued more highly. Elayan said the group tries to encourage respectful interaction; avoiding gossip, respecting boundaries, and being mindful of tone and approach. One of her favourite memories from past expos was watching people light up during conversations. 'How they look very happy and enjoying. They're asking, 'When are you going to do this again?'' she says. 'It's how they feel, how I can see their happy faces. It makes me feel really good.' Religion is central to the event, but it's not limited to religion 'We have someone this year who is a deaf Muslim lawyer, a woman, and she will be speaking about how to follow your dreams,' Elayan says. 'We also have someone talking about healthy food and why doing exercise is important.' Past topics have included mental health, relationships, and family dynamics. When asked what she wishes more people understood, Elayan answers: 'Don't be afraid to approach us. Don't say 'I'm sorry' when we say we're deaf. We were born this way. Just treat us like people. It's not an obligation. But it would mean a lot to see people trying.' Small gestures, she explains, can make a big difference - even learning to say hello in sign language helps create more connection and understanding. This year's Deaf Muslim Expo will take place August 30th and the 31st.
CairoScene
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Danny Arafa's New Book Reimagines Cairo Through a Child's Eyes
In Takhayal Takhayal, Danny Arafa invites children and adults alike to see Cairo anew through rhymes, illustrations, and a world where the overlooked becomes magical. Jul 31, 2025 A strange green creature munches on mangoes at the souk. A baker inflates baladi bread like balloons. A multicoloured lion hides in a side alley. This author and illustrator Danny Arafa's Cairo. Takhayal Takhayal (تخيل تخيل), a new children's book by Danny Arafa, reimagines the city in all its surreal, playful glory. Published by Asfoura Books, the book is a vivid, rhyming journey through Cairo's overlooked corners, designed to spark wonder in children and nostalgia in adults. Written entirely in Egyptian Arabic, the story moves briskly through vegetable markets, rooftops, and quiet neighbourhoods, bringing them to life with whimsical illustrations and a sharp eye for everyday beauty. 'Takhayal Takhayal is a new kids' book that invites children (and grown-ups) to reimagine the Cairo they thought they knew,' Arafa tells CairoScene. At its heart, the book is a deliberate call to slow down and observe. Whether it's a shuttered window or a crack in the sidewalk, Arafa wants children to see potential in the overlooked. 'Imagination made my world bigger and richer as a child,' he reflects. 'That imagination turned into curiosity as I grew older. That's what I hope Takhayal Takhayal brings to others. Especially kids growing up in Egypt today.' Arafa, known for the Arabic kids' podcast Qesas le Atfal Elnaharda and picture books like Pack Pals and The Dace That Flew to Space, brings his signature rhythm and colour to this latest release. The result is a book that's as charming for toddlers as it is meaningful for the adults reading to them.
CairoScene
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Artist Amina Tamer Illustrates Modern Egypt Through Post Stamps
Artist Amina Tamer Illustrates Modern Egypt Through Post Stamps Rummaging through our grandparents' old files, or through the many boxes of scraps at antique souqs, we inevitably find ancient relics from the days when people used to, you know, actually write letters. We would find notebooks filled with tiny 2x3 cm pieces of art. Some were predictable, like the ones that had presidents' faces on them, the Egyptian flag, or an army tank, but others were more creative, carrying tiny but beautiful paintings of natural attractions, or a clay jug, or even a cat. These antique collections are fun to look at, but they don't really reflect the Egypt we live in today. People stopped writing letters, and so post stamps, the small squares that have carried miniature elements of our culture for thousands of years, became obsolete. Amina Tamer, the Egyptian artist and graphic designer whose work has recently been circulating online, begs to differ; post stamps don't have to be reduced to antiques. 'For my pre-master's project, I wanted to create a cultural project that showcased not only my illustration skills but also my graphic design skills,' Amina Tamer tells CairoScene. 'And I needed a medium that allowed me to experiment with a variety of styles while still adhering to the concept. At the same time, stamps always had my interest, because of their diverse colours, illustrations, typography, layout, size, and the cultures they represent.' Like her inspiration, the stamps Tamer comes up with are diverse. Sometimes, they show a tiny colourful picture of a donkey pulling a cart, a black and white apartment building, or the storefront of a juice shop. At other times, it's a portrait of a band the country loves. Tamer's art reflects how scattered, and thereby diverse, the concept of Egyptian culture has become. 'It always begins with an idea, theme, or concept that I continue to explore until it's expanded into layouts and illustrations, and then I reach something.' At completion, Tamer's projects are always vibrant, loud, crowded. 'I try to design projects that are pleasant, sincere, and make you feel lively and genuine. I have to feel them in my heart.' Even in other projects, like the storybook she made of 'Siwa's Narrative of Love', inspired by the hidden love story of someone she met on a trip to Siwa, Tamer seems to look on the bright side. She illustrates an Egypt that's bursting with colour, with kitschy patterns like the one we see when we leave our houses every day. Perhaps we should be handwriting letters again.
CairoScene
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
How Wael Abed's 'Botanica Magica' Captures the Secret Lives of Plants
How Wael Abed's 'Botanica Magica' Captures the Secret Lives of Plants A hidden garden. A macro lens. Photographer Wael Abed's series travels from Cairo to the North Coast, inviting viewers to look again, and closer. Just outside the hustle of Cairo, Mazhar Botanic Garden sits quietly on the outskirts of Giza. Originally established in the 1950s by Abdel Wahab Mazhar, it has since become a carefully preserved garden and sanctuary of native and rare plants, drawing landscape designers, researchers, and conservationists committed to preserving Egypt's flora. It's also where photographer Wael Abed returned again and again for eight months, camera in hand, to capture the garden. But rather than focus on the garden as a backdrop, he turned the garden's inhabitants into his subjects. 'As a photographer, my lifetime work has been to inspire people and to generate interest in preserving nature and heritage,' Abed tells CairoScene. "I fell in love with Mazhar Botanic Garden and wanted to show my appreciation for the work done there by documenting the beauty that exists." With Botanica Magica, he does exactly that. Shot in tight macro, the photographs are reframed. Rather than move into romanticism, Abed allowed nature to tell its story. Leaves curl. Petals split. Surfaces decay or surprise. With Botanica Magica, he does exactly that. Shot in tight macro, the photographs are reframed. Rather than move into romanticism, Abed allowed nature to tell its story. Leaves curl. Petals split. Surfaces decay or surprise. 'I witnessed the whole lifecycle of flowers and leaves, and found beauty in every stage, even in decay,' Abed says. That approach reminded him of wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy that embraces the serenity of imperfection and impermanence. The images aren't arranged by species or colour. They follow nature's instinct. 'I didn't want a typical or staged presentation,' he says. 'I wanted to arrange the photos in a way that replicates the organic disarray of a real garden, where each flower, leaf or shrub has its own unique place and identity." Originally exhibited in the garden itself, Botanica Magica now travels to the North Coast, on view at Villa Agiba from July 24th through September 7th. Abed's photographs suggest that plants, like us, have their secret lives. And if we take the time to study them, like Abed, we might find aspects of our own hidden lives within them. With an anthropomorphic touch, his latest exhibit humanises nature by tuning into its unheard conversations of nature - conversations that you may just be able to hear if you lean closely enough.
