Actor Kamal Al Shinnawi believes that the Egyptian cinema is currently facing a crisis linked with the American film industry, since, he claims, the local industry imitates everything, according to the London based Arabic daily Al Sharq Al Awsat.
“When romance and comedy disappeared from the American big screen, they disappeared from our screen, too, until the new wave of young actors which the audience considered their only savior arrived. Therefore, I believe their roles suit their ages, but they lack diversity. This depends on their competency and talents and is considered the real test of their ability to survive in their career,” Shinnawi told the daily.
“They should work together like us. We were competing stars but we were friends, regardless of the level of competition. For example, Shukri Serhan and I performed in the film Alless Wal Kilab (Thief and Dogs) and competed over who would play his role better. In the end, we helped each other,” said the actor, adding that he had no objection to participating in performances with young actors as the stars, and not as a supporting actor.
Shinnawi reiterated that there had not, so far, been any real attempt to write good scripts for his age bracket. But he added that this shortage faced the Egyptian and international cinema alike.
The veteran actor said that he was embarking on writing his memoirs, but he indicated that these memoirs "will not include my life history alone, but also an important period in history which witnessed the most important political, economic and social developments in Egypt."
The upcoming work will also cover the history of his interactions with other people, he said.
Shinnawi praised Egyptian star Ahmed Zaki’s talents and assessed him as “the best in our group, as he has managed to prove that he is the best actor so far. He stunned me when he performed in Naser 56, since I could not believe my eyes when I saw him playing Sadat. He has distinguished himself as an actor the audiences never get bored with" – Albawaba.com
