The Egyptian TV network has purchased the rights to the film Kawkab Al Sharq, which cost 2.5 million pounds to make, for only 600,000 thousand pounds in an attempt to support its struggling producers, according to the Egyptian daily Al Ahram.
The film's producer and director, Mohammed Fadhel, and his partners, star Fardos Abdel Hamid and screenwriter Ibrahim Afifi, have taken out bank loans to cover the film’s cost and will be making payments for three more years to come.
When it hit the theaters, the film ran into trouble, which spurred the director to withdraw it from the screening venues on the first day.
“When it was screened for the second time, the film faced a conspiracy by the distribution Mafia,” Fadhel said, “which caused it to fail to generate the anticipated revenues.”
Moreover, a company which had allegedly sought to monopolize the film industry withdrew its offer to buy the film for one million pounds, as it had previously promised the producers.
Two scenes were cut from the film before it was screened by Egypt's TV Channel One, despite no objections to them from the censors, in order to shorten the epic's running time to only two hours and 10 minutes.
Costarring in the film, which explores the life history of the late Egyptian singer Umm Kulthoum, are Ferdous Abdel Hamid, Mahmoud Yasin, Mahmoud Qabil and others carefully chosen by the director, who was also reportedly meticulous about choosing accessories and costumes for his cast - Albawaba.com
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