African Perspectives: Salladin – the Victorius by Youssef Chahine

On Saturday, 27. 02. 2010 at 19h AfricAvenir Windhoek and Studio 77 in co-operation with Pro Helvetia Cape Town, Swiss Arts Council, Bank Windhoek Arts Festival, the FNCC and the Egyptian Embassy in Windhoek will be presenting the movie Salladin – the Victorius (aka Al Naser Salah El Dine) by Youssef Chahine in the framework of the series "African Perspectives".nIn 1963 Egypt’s most acclaimed director Youssef Chahine made Saladin (original title: El Nasser – defender/deliverer – Salah ed-Dine), an epic, three-hour film in CinemaScope named after the 12th Century Sultan who, as the film begins, is preparing to liberate Jerusalem from its Christian Crusader occupiers. It was scripted by Naguib Mahfouz and the poet and progressive writer, Abderrahman Cherkaoui, and a parallel between Saladin and President Nasser is easily drawn. Saladin is shown as an educated and peaceable man – at one point he is asked to give clandestine medical help to Richard (the Lion Heart), shot by an arrow, and later he tells him: "Religion is God’s and the Earth is for all … I guarantee to all Christians in Jerusalem the same rights as are enjoyed by Muslims."nAt its time, this was the most expensive film ever made in Egypt.
Some critics have called SALLADIN the greatest historical epic of Egyptian cinema. nVenue: Studio 77
Date: 27. 02. 2010
Time: 19h00
Entrance: 10,- N$
The film event will be opened by a presentation by the Egyptian Ambassador H.E. Dr. Mohammed Hadi Mostafa El-Tonsi.nPlease come on time, since this movie is a three-hour long film.nInfos/Contact:
H.-C. Mahnke, MA of Political Science
AfricAvenir International e.V. (Douala/Berlin/Windhoek)
Chairperson AfricAvenir WindhoeknTel: +264 61 273 112
Cell : +264 855630949
Email: gro.rinevacirfa@eknham.cWeb: www.africavenir.org

Check the Namibian Movie Collection on http://www.africavenir.org/projects-namibia.html