Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris announced his opinion on the movie “Rishes”, which sparked controversy during the past few days, after it was shown at the El Gouna Film Festival, and caused the anger of artists to object to its content.
Today, Friday, Sawiris wrote on his Twitter account: “I watched the movie from half past one in the morning until four in the morning.”
He said that the film has distinct artistic aspects, referring to the story of the struggle of a mother in a poor family who does not speak much, but struggles for the family in a difficult society without compromising her honor or dignity, stressing that the end of the film was shocking to him.
He added that “Rish” reminds him of the Korean film Parasite, which won the Palme d’Or.
Sawiris made it clear that he does not see that the film offends Egypt at all, but on the contrary, “we must remember our poor, in order for the government and people to work together to eradicate poverty,” as he put it.
In the end, Sawiris asked: “Does he deserve the award or not?”, pointing out that he leaves the judgment to the critics and the public.
The management of the El Gouna Film Festival had confirmed in an official statement that the film “Feathers” was chosen after it came in line with the criteria for selecting films at the festival, according to its successes in some international forums, including winning the Grand Prize for the International Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival. Film Festival in France, pointing out that it is the first Egyptian film to win this prestigious award.
The movie “feathers” caused the anger of some artists, media professionals and critics when it was shown at the festival, most notably the Egyptian artist, Sherif Mounir, who considered it offensive to Egypt and its image.
And the movie “feathers” directed by Omar Al-Zuhairi, and it deals with the story of a mother who lives in an Egyptian slum area, who is forced to come out of her hibernation and provide for her children, after her husband turned into a chicken by a magician’s mistake on her young son’s birthday.