Microphone | |
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![]() International official poster of the film | |
Directed by | Ahmad Abdalla |
Written by | Ahmad Abdalla |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Distributed by | |
Release date |
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Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | Egypt |
Language | Arabic |
Microphone (Arabic : ميكروفون) is a 2010 Egyptian independent film by Ahmad Abdalla about the underground art scene of the city of Alexandria, Egypt. The film received Best Arabic-language film Award from Cairo International Film Festival [1] and Tanit d'Or from Journées cinématographiques de Carthage. In addition to Best Editing Award from Dubai International Film Festival [2] in 2010.
Microphone is Ahmad Abdalla's second feature film, following Heliopolis .
When Khaled returns to Alexandria after years of travel he discovers that it is too late to rekindle a relationship with his old love because she is about to immigrate and that his relationship with his aging father is broken beyond repair. Self-absorbed, he roams the city and stumbles over the underground art scene: hip-hop singers who perform on sidewalks, female rock musicians on rooftops Massive Scar Era (band), skateboarders cruising all over the city, graffiti artists who confront the city with their shocking murals in the darkness of the night. He is mesmerized by the discovery of this world and his life gradually changes. With his limited resources and connections, he tries to support this movement and draw attention to the diverse facets of his city. Details of his private life and events of this movement overlap. He awaits an inevitable change that he believes will come from the dynamic and unique art scene in Alexandria rather than from Cairo, Egypt's overpopulated capital. 'Microphone' is a vibrant image of this colorful music and art movement. It is a real narrative of this new generation of artists from Alexandria and the intricate details of their lives. It is the first Egyptian movie to feature the local skateboarding scene [3]
Microphone was the first Egyptian film to win the prestigious award The Golden Tanit in Carthage film festival in October 2010.
Carthage Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place in Tunis and was founded in 1966. It is also called by its abbreviation JCC, from its French name, Journées cinématographiques de Carthage, or by its Arabic title, أيام قرطاج السينمائية. Initially biennial alternating with the Carthage Theatre Festival, the festival became an annual event in 2014. A directing committee chaired by the Tunisian Ministry of Culture, joined with professionals of the cinema industry, is in charge of the organization.
The Tanit d'or is the grand prize of the Carthage Film Festival, hosted annually in Tunisia. The award is named after Tanit, the lunar goddess of ancient Carthage and takes the shape of her symbol, a triangle surmounted by a horizontal line and a circle.
Kal-El Naga, is an Egyptian American actor, director and producer. He is recognized primarily for his work in Egypt and the Middle East, but has increasingly ventured into American and British film and television roles since 2006. He started acting and directing plays and musicals in Egypt while studying theatre at The American University in Cairo. Beginning his professional acting career in 2000, Naga starred in several movies through the next decade with roles encompassing several genres, from musicals None but that! (2007), action Agamista (2007), ''Eyes Of A Thief'' (2014), thrillers Kashf Hesab (2007), art-house Heliopolis (2009), Villa 69 (2013), Decor (2014), and slapstick comedy Habibi Naêman (2008). Additionally, he has participated in several European film festivals, where he received a range of awards as an actor and producer. Since 2016, he has acted in several English-speaking roles, such as Tyrant on FX, History Channel's Vikings, and the BBC's TV mini-series The Last Post, and announced to appear in the upcoming Netflix Show Messiah 2019. In a film festival in 2016 that celebrated Arab film submissions to the Oscars, he was noted as being the most submitted actor in Arabic films submissions to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He is often tagged in western media as "Egypt's Brad Pitt", and he has also been described as "the next Omar Sharif" especially after his American debut movie Civic Duty in 2007. Chosen as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 2007, Naga played a pivotal role in child rights awareness, as well as the very first HIV awareness campaigns in Egypt and the Arab world, and participated in several international causes, including advocating for democracy in his home country Egypt. He is one of the most recognizable celebrity faces of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, taking part in mass demonstrations in Cairo that led to the removal of President Mubarak. He faced defamation campaigns against him by the state-owned media during the Mubarak era before the January 25th, 2011 revolution in Egypt, and several times again from the 2013 "coup d'etat" General Sisi government in Egypt in retaliation for his advocacy about the deterioration of human rights, especially Egyptian youth situation in Egypt.
Massar Egbari is an Egyptian rock band that was officially launched in 2005 from Alexandria, Egypt. The band consists of 5 musicians: Ayman Massoud (keyboards), Hany El Dakkak, Ahmed Hafez, and Tamer Attallah (drums). Mahmoud Siam (guitar) joined the band in 2008. The band performs a kind of alternative Egyptian music, mixing rock, jazz and blues with Oriental music. "Massar Egbari" means "Compulsory Detour", a name intended to reflect how society forces people to think and live their lives in a certain way. The band pokes fun at typical social norms and trends. The band mainly concentrates on presenting music and songs talking about social problems. Love is not their main concern although it represents a part of their songs.
Les Ambassadeurs is a Tunisian film produced in 1975 by Naceur Ktari. It won the Tanit d'or for best film at Carthage Film Festival in 1976 and the special jury prize at Locarno International Film Festival the same year. It was selected for the 1978 Cannes Film Festival in the category "Un Certain Regard".
Menna Shalaby is an Egyptian actress. She is featured in numerous film and TV productions, among which is the television series Every Week Has a Friday, which earned her a nomination for an International Emmy Award, making Shalaby the first Egyptian nominee.
Heliopolis is a 2009 Egyptian independent musical documentary film by Ahmad Abdalla that tells the story of a group of young people during a winter day in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis. Heliopolis is Ahmad Abdalla's debut feature film and starring Khaled Abol Naga.
Ahmad Abdalla El Sayed Abdelkader is an Egyptian film director, editor and screenwriter.
The cinema of Tunisia began in 1896, when the Lumière brothers began showing animated films in the streets of Tunis.
Destiny is a 1997 Egyptian-French historical drama film directed and co-written by Youssef Chahine. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Yosra El Lozy is an Egyptian actress. She has received many awards from regional and international film festivals. She has won various awards for her acting in Qobolat Masrouqa (2008), Bel-Alwan el-Tabe'eya (2009), Heliopolis (2010) and Microphone (2011). She has also provided voice dubbing in Arabic for several films and television series.
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Asser Ashraf Fouad Yassin is an Egyptian actor, writer, and film producer. He has been awarded Best Actor for several of his works. Yassin began his career on the stage of the American University in Cairo spotted by Director Khairy Beshara to play his first role on TV in Qalb Habiba in 2006, followed by the blockbuster The Yacoubian Building in 2007. His first major film release was Zay El Naharda (2008) where he was praised for his supporting role, playing the character of a drug addict. In the same year, Yassin got his big break and played a leading role in the movie "El Waad" lit. The Promise, facing the legendary actor and superstar Mahmoud Yassin. In 2010, Yassin played the leading role in a Daoud Abdel Sayed movie Messages from the Sea, for which he was awarded Best Actor at the Carthage Film Festival, and Malmö Arab Film Festival. He was also awarded Best Actor for his latest release Aswar El Qamar (2015) by The Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival.
Taïeb Louhichi was a Tunisian film director, screenwriter, producer and filmmaker. His best known works include his debut feature film, Shadow of the Earth (1982), Layla, My Reason (1989), and La Danse Du Vent (2004).
Abu Bakr “A.B.” Shawky is an Egyptian-Austrian writer and director. His first feature film, Yomeddine, was selected to participate in the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and was screened in the Main Competition section and compete for the Palme d'Or. The film also won the Silver Tanit Award for Best Feature Film at the Carthage International Film Festival.
Night/Ext is a 2018 Egyptian drama film directed by Ahmad Abdalla. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Sherif Desoky won the award for Best Actor at the 40th Cairo International Film Festival for his role in the film.
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