A Day for Women Takes Part in Luxor African Film Festival

In the Presence of Superstar Elham Shahin

A Day for Women Takes Part in Luxor African Film Festival

A Day for Women by Kamla Abouzekri participates in the 9th Luxor African Film Festival (March 6-12) within its Panorama of African Women in Film competition. In the presence of Elham Shahin, the film will be screened on Saturday, March 7, at 2:00 PM at the Cultural Palace, and on Monday, March 9, at 6:00 PM at Abu Elhagag Square.

Regarded as one of the foundation's most important projects, the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) is organized by the Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF), which is a non-profit entity that is registered at the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The Festival aims to connect the Egyptian culture to its African roots, and de-centralize cultural or artistic events, which are always organized in Cairo and Alexandria, and move them to Luxor.

The film won seven awards at international film festivals, including the Audience Award at the Arab Film Festival Rotterdam, Best Screenplay Award at the Slemani International Film Festival in Iraq, Best Music and Third Production awards at the Egyptian National Film Festival, and Best Feature Film at the Festival di Cinema Africano di Verona. The film also competed in the Official Competition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) marking its Arab world premiere, where its star Nahed ElSebai won the Best Actress Award for her role in the film. The leads Elham Shahin, Nelly Karim and Nahed El Sebai shared the Best Actress Award of the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival held in the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

A Day for Women had its world premiere at the 60th BFI London Film Festival, run by the British Film Institute (BFI), within the Debate Strand section. The film also competed in the Festival International de Cinéma Vues d'Afrique in Montréal, opened the 1st Beirut International Women Film Festival (BWFF), where superstar Elham Shahin was honored, and screened at the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF), Cape Town International Film Festival, Beirut Film Festival, the Arabian Sights Film Festival in Washington, and Festival Films Femmes Afrique in Senegal.

A Day for Women takes place in a shabby neighborhood in Egypt where a youth center decides to allocate one day on the swimming pool for women only. The film follows the consequences of this decision on the social, psychological and emotional life of the women living in that neighborhood.

A Day for Women brings together a cast and crew of outstanding women, as it is produced by Elham Shahin through her company Shahin Film, who also stars in the film, directed by Kamla Abouzekri, written by Hanaa Atiyah, DOP Nancy Abdel Fattah, and Costume Designer Inas Shahin. The film stars Nelly Karim, Nahed El Sebai, Hala Sedqi, Ragaa Hussein, Shaimaa Seif, along with Mahmoud Hemida, Farouk Al Fishawy, Ahmad Al Fishawy, Eyad Nassar and Ahmed Dawood. MAD Solutions handles the film's marketing and promotion in the Arab world.