The 58th Venice International Film Festival will honor Egyptian director Yousef Shahin as part of a special program entitled Tahiyyah Ela Thalathat Muallimeen (Greetings to Three Bosses).
Veteran Portuguese director Manuel De Oliver, 92, and Japanese director Suzuki Sigon will also be honored.
Shahin’s latest film, Sukout Hansawwar (Quiet, We Will Shoot), starring the Tunisian singer Latifa, Ahmed Bedeir and Ahmed Tawfiq, will be screened during the festival.
Festival head Alberto Barbera said: “We consider Shahin a reference not only for the Arab cinema, but also for the international cinema, because he has his own position in the heart of international cinema figures.”
Commenting on the Arab presence at the festival, Barbera said that he had received just a few applications to participate from that quarter.
Responding to a question by the London-based daily Al Hayat, he said that the film Ayyam Assadat (Sadat Days), directed by Mohammed Khan and starring Ahmed Zaki, had not been presented to the selection committee.
The 58th Venice International Film Festival will kick off on August 29 – Albawaba.com
