عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

‘National Egyptian Film Festival’ Honors Young Talents

Egyptian actor Samir Sabri in 2016 at the 9th Muscat International Film Festival in Oman. AFP
Egyptian actor Samir Sabri in 2016 at the 9th Muscat International Film Festival in Oman. AFP
    Cairo - Intissar Dardir
TT
TT

‘National Egyptian Film Festival’ Honors Young Talents

Egyptian actor Samir Sabri in 2016 at the 9th Muscat International Film Festival in Oman. AFP
Egyptian actor Samir Sabri in 2016 at the 9th Muscat International Film Festival in Oman. AFP

Young talents have bagged most of the prizes awarded during the 24th edition of the National Egyptian Film Festival in its two competitions: best feature film, and best short film, documentary, and animation.

The festival, organized by the ministry of culture to support the Egyptian cinema with money prizes worth 1.2 million Egyptian pounds, was attended by Minister Dr. Ines Abdel Dayem. At the beginning of the ceremony, the festival paid tribute to the late artist Samir Sabri, whose pictures were raised in the big theater, at the Cairo Opera House. During a keynote he addressed, Critic Kamal Ramzi said, “the late artist was indeed a man of festivals who supported all the cinema events in the country.”

The festival reflected the status of the Egyptian cinema in the past year on the level of production and quality. This edition saw the participation of 15 out of 24 feature films that were produced in 2021, while 92 movies competed in the short film, documentary, and animation contest.

The minister said the National Egyptian Film Festival is a major contributor to promoting the role of cinema in highlighting and addressing social causes and enhancing the national identity.

He said that cinema was and will always be a means to spread awareness and build a strong, coherent society.

In the beginning of the ceremony, as part of the ‘Eternals’ program dedicated to honor prominent artists, the minister paid tribute to four major figures in the Egyptian cinema: Rajaa Hussein, Abdelaziz Makhiun, and film editor Rahma Montaser, in addition to late director Abdul Qadir al-Talmasani.

The festival also released four books that highlight the journeys of the four figures.

Young talents won most of the prizes in the feature film contest overseen by a jury headed by Director Inas El Degheidy. ‘Al Aaref’ and ‘Abu Saddam’ won the biggest number of prizes; the first won five awards: best direction (Ahmed Alaa al-Deeb), best actress (Carmen Bsaibes), best montage (Ahmed Hafez), and best sound (Ahmed Abu al-Saad), in addition to the best production award.

The second won best actor (Mohammed Mamdouh), best supporting actress (Zeina Mansour), and the second-best production award. ‘Abu Saddam’ director Nadine Khan, daughter of late director Mohammed Khan, won the best direction of first work award.

Nadine expressed her gratitude for this tribute. “It’s very motivating. I dedicate this tribute to the Egyptian cinema, filmmakers, and to my father’s soul. I am so proud of his artistic journey; I learned a lot from him,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The ‘For Rent’ movie won the best script award (Islam al-Sayed), and the third best production award; ‘Moses’ won the best cinematography award (Hussein Osr) and best production design (Ahmed Fayez); ‘Human and Mongoose’ movie won the best wardrobe award (Ines Abdullah), and best music award (Moudi Imam). Actor Ahmed Dash won the best supporting actor award for his role in “The Court” movie.

The jury also awarded a special prize to actresses Layla Elwi and Isaad Younis for their roles in the film ‘200 Pounds’.

Inas El Degheidy said the festival’s awards went to those who deserve them. “We didn’t give a prize to someone who doesn’t deserve it. We chose good works made by young filmmakers in their first or second experiences. They presented good movies with high artistic potential.

“But the common problem among all the participating works was the weak script. In fact, we considered suspending the best script award, but we didn’t to encourage the industry. We also noted the small number of participating movies, and the shrinking productions. We used to produce around 70 films every year in the past decades, which indicates a major problem that should be considered carefully.”

The short film awards, whose jury was headed by cinematographer Said Shimi, were also bagged by young filmmakers. Director Bassem al-Turki was loudly applauded when he took the stage to receive his best short film award for his movie ‘Illusions of the Locked Room,’ which he wrote, directed, and montaged despite his disability.

Director Nabil al-Shazly won the best long documentary award for his work ‘Crocodiles of the Nile’.

“I don’t mind screening my movie for free on cable channels to reach the widest audience. This is the true award,” Shazly told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The festival used to screen all the participating movies to the public before announcing the awards, however, this year, it only screened the winning works one day after its closing ceremony.

“We honor the winning movies by screening them to those who didn’t have the chance to watch them, and those who want to discover the reasons behind their success. We also planned seminars to discuss the winning works with their makers,” Kamal Ramzi, head of the festival, told Asharq Al-Awsat about the screening decision.

Ramzi said he ensured the competing movies get the best evaluation, noting that the awards were a happy surprise for the young filmmakers who are making their first steps in this industry. “We were also keen to honor fewer productions compared to previous editions, to add more depth and value to the tribute.”

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

What Is ALS, the Disease That Killed Actor Eric Dane?

US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)
TT
TT

What Is ALS, the Disease That Killed Actor Eric Dane?

US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)

Eric Dane, known for his roles on "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Euphoria," died this week from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 53.

The fatal nervous system disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, killed Dane less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ALS is rare. In 2022, there were nearly 33,000 estimated cases, say researchers, who project that cases will rise to more than 36,000 by 2030.

The disease is slightly more common in men than in women and tends to strike in midlife, between the ages of 40 and 60.

Here’s what to know.

What is ALS? It affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control and getting worse over time.

ALS causes nerve cells in the upper and lower parts of the body to stop working and die. Nerves no longer trigger specific muscles, eventually leading to paralysis. People with ALS may develop problems with mobility, speaking, swallowing and breathing.

The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and Mayo Clinic experts said a small number of cases are inherited.

It’s called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the Hall of Fame New York Yankees player. Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS in 1939 on his 36th birthday, died in 1941 and was the face of ALS for decades.

What are some signs of ALS? Experts say the first symptoms are often subtle. The disease may begin with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg.

Over time, muscles stop acting and reacting correctly, said experts at University of California San Francisco Health. People may lose strength and coordination in their arms and legs; feet and ankles may become weak; and muscles in the arms, shoulders and tongue may cramp or twitch. Swallowing and speaking may become difficult and fatigue may set in.

The ability to think, see, hear, smell, taste and touch are usually not affected, UCSF experts said.

Eventually, muscles used for breathing may become paralyzed. Patients may be unable to swallow and inhale food or saliva. Most people with ALS die of respiratory failure.

How is ALS diagnosed and treated? The disease is difficult to diagnose because there’s no test or procedure to confirm it. Generally, doctors will perform a physical exam, lab tests and imaging of the brain and spinal cord.

A doctor may interpret certain things as signs of ALS, including an unusual flexing of the toes, diminished fine motor coordination, painful muscle cramps, twitching and spasticity, a type of stiffness causing jerky movements.

There’s no known cure for ALS, but the drug riluzole has been approved for treatment. According to the Mayo Clinic, it may extend survival in the early stages of the disease or extend the time until a breathing tube is needed.

Another much-debated drug, Relyvrio, was pulled from the US market by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals in 2024. Its development had been financed, in part, by the ALS Association, the major beneficiary of the 2014 " ice bucket challenge " viral phenomenon.

Other medications are sometimes prescribed to help control symptoms.

Choking is common as ALS progresses, so patients may need feeding tubes. People may also use braces, wheelchairs, speech synthesizers or computer-based communication systems.

After the onset of the disease, experts say patients may survive from two years to a decade. Most people live from two to five years after symptoms develop, and about a fifth live more than five years after they are diagnosed.

Varieties

Snowstorm Paralyzes Vienna Airport

People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
TT
TT

Snowstorm Paralyzes Vienna Airport

People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl

Massive snowstorms caused power outages and transport chaos in Austria on Friday, forcing the Vienna airport to temporarily halt all flights.

Flights departing from the capital, a major European hub, were cancelled or delayed, and more than 230 arrivals were similarly disrupted or rerouted.

"Passengers whose flights have been delayed are asked not to come to the airport," the facility said in a statement.

The area received 20 centimeters (nearly eight inches) of snow, national news agency APA reported.

The main highway south of Vienna was closed for several hours, and other sections of highway were temporarily inaccessible because of snowdrift, stranded lorries or poor visibility, said the national automobile association, OAMTC.

According to AFP, electric companies reported power outages in several regions in the south and east, including Styria, where 30,000 homes lost electricity.

The weather was forecast to improve from around midday, but the risk of avalanches remained high.

Varieties

NASA Delivers Harsh Assessment of Botched Boeing Starliner Test Flight

NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File
NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File
TT
TT

NASA Delivers Harsh Assessment of Botched Boeing Starliner Test Flight

NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File
NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File

NASA on Thursday blamed what it called engineering vulnerabilities in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft along with internal agency mistakes in a sharply critical report assessing a botched mission that left two astronauts stranded in space.

The US space agency labeled the 2024 test flight of the Starliner capsule a "Type A" mishap -- the same classification as the deadly Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters -- a category that reflects the "potential for a significant mishap," it said.

The failures left a pair of NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station for nine months in a mission that captured global attention and became a political flashpoint.

"Starliner has design and engineering deficiencies that must be corrected, but the most troubling failure revealed by this investigation is not hardware. It's decision-making and leadership," said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman in a briefing.

"If left unchecked," he said, this mismanagement "could create a culture incompatible with human spaceflight."

The top space official said the investigation found that a concern for the reputation of Boeing's Starliner clouded an earlier internal probe into the incident.

"Programmatic advocacy exceeded reasonable bounds and place the mission, the crew and America's space program at risk in ways that were not fully understood at the time," Isaacman said.

He said Starliner currently "is less reliable for crew survival than other crewed vehicles" and that "NASA will not fly another crew on Starliner until technical causes are understood and corrected" and a problematic propulsion system is fixed.

But the administrator insisted that "NASA will continue to work with Boeing, as we do all of our partners that are undertaking test flights."

In a statement, Boeing said it has "made substantial progress on corrective actions for technical challenges we encountered and driven significant cultural changes across the team that directly align with the findings in the report."

- 'We failed them' -

Isaacman also had harsh words for internal conduct at NASA.

"We managed the contract. We accepted the vehicle, we launched the crew to space. We made decisions from docking through post-mission actions," he told journalists.

"A considerable portion of the responsibility and accountability rests here."

In June 2024 Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams embarked on what was meant to be an eight-to-14-day mission. But this turned into nine months after propulsion problems emerged in orbit and the Starliner spacecraft was deemed unfit to fly them back.

The ex-Navy pilots were reassigned to the NASA-SpaceX Crew-9 mission. A Dragon spacecraft flew to the ISS that September with a team of two, rather than the usual four, to make room for the stranded pair.

The duo, both now retired, were finally able to arrive home safely in March 2025.

"They have so much grace, and they're so competent, the two of them, and we failed them," NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya told Thursday's briefing.

"The agency failed them."

Kshatriya said the details of the report were "hard to hear" but that "transparency" was the only path forward.

"This is not about pointing fingers," he said. "It's about making sure that we are holding each other accountable."

Both Boeing and SpaceX were commissioned to handle missions to the ISS more than a decade ago.