release date May 13 2016
Clash Receives Thunderous Applause following Its World Premiere at Cannes Film Festival
During its screening night at the Cannes Film Festival (11 - 22 May), director Mohamed Diab's film Clash gains rave reviews from the audience and the foreign press who attended its world premiere within the Un Certain Regard section, even receiving a wild wave of applause as 29 members of the film cast took to the stage to greet the audience.
In a review published in Variety Magazine, critic Jay Weissberg said, ""Clash" might strike some as crossing too often into hysteria, yet this is bravura filmmaking with a kick-in-the-gut message about chaos and cruelty (with some humanity)". On the other hand, The Hollywood Reporter described the film as one of the festival's hidden gems, with critic Deborah Young stating that the film "will be remembered as one of the most telling depictions of modern Egypt". She also described the film's effect on viewers saying that, "The audience has the sensation of being a prisoner, too, caught unawares in a deadly squabble that grows in volume and intensity as the film goes on."
Previously, Screen International magazine has selected Clash as one of the most anticipated films in international festivals during 2016. Clash was the only Arab film placed by the magazine on the list which boasted 54 films from around the world.
The film screening at Cannes Film Festival was attended by the film's crew, including brothers Mohamed and Khaled Diab and the film stars Nelly Karim, Hany Adel, Ahmed Dash, Khaled Kamel, Amr El Qady, Tarek Abd El Aziz, Hosny Shetta, Ashraf Hamdi, Ali El Tayeb, Mai El Ghaty, Mohamed Alaa, and Ahmed El Sebaie. Also, among the behind-the-scenes crew members in attendance were, DOP Ahmed Gabr, Ahmed Adnan (Sound Design), Hend Heider (Production Designer), Khaled Dagher (Music), Ahmed Hafez (Editing), Reem El Adl (Costume Designer), Marwa Gebril (Casting Director), Fried Ateal (Mixage), Sarah Gohar and Ahmed Farghaly (Creative Producers), Ihab Ayoub (Production Supervisor), in addition to producers Moez Masoud, Mohamed Hefzy, and Eric Lagesse.
Clash tackles the political unrest that prevailed in Egypt following the ousting of President Morsi. Co-written by Khaled Diab and Mohamed Diab, who is also the director, the film is a co-production between France, Egypt, Germany, and the UAE.
Most of the events in the film take place in a police truck, crammed with 25 detainees from both the pro and anti-Muslim Brotherhood camps, their interaction with each other full of madness, violence, romance, and comedy.
The cast includes Nelly Karim, Tarek Abd El Aziz, Hany Adel, Ahmed Malek, Ashraf Hamdi, Mohamed Abdel Azim, Gamil Barsoum and others.
Clash is a joint production effort between Arab and European companies: Film Clinic (Egypt), Sampek Productions (France), and EMC Pictures (UAE), in association with ARTE France Cinema (France), Niko Film (Germany), Fortress Film Clinic (UAE), and Pyramide International (France). Taking part in the project are producers Moez Masoud, Mohamed Hefzy, Eric Lagesse, and it is co-produced by Nicole Gerhards, alongside executive producers Jamal Al Dabbous and Daniel Ziskind. Mohamed Diab's wife, Sarah Goher also acted as a creative collaborator on the film, earning the title "Creative Producer". The film will be distributed in Egypt by Al Massa Art Production, while Pyramide International will distribute it in France and the rest of the world.
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