Do You Know Why? (Enta Aref Leih?) by Salma el-Tarzy. Egypt, 2004, 26 min, DVD US première

Borrowing the title from the pop hit song by Ruby, Egypt's answer to Christina Aguilera, this short documentary follows Mayada, an ambitious Cairene teenager, star-struck and determined to become famous. Compiling clips from her auditions, interviews, and informal chats with her mother and her best friend, the film reveals with humor and insight the circuitous ways that allow Mayada and her mother to reconcile their observant values at home with the teenager's drive to shape her career as a provocative sex symbol. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Wed, Nov 9, 7:00
Thur, Nov 10, 3:30

Cast and Crew:

Producer: Samy Hossam
Cinematographer: Nancy Abd el-Fattah
Editor: Doa‘a Fathi
Sound: Mohamed Farouk
Music: songs by Ruby

Filmmaker Bio:

Salma el-Tarzy graduated from the High Cinema Institute in Cairo in 1999. She is the recipient of the Pro-Helvetia scholarship, artists support program, the School of Audio Visual Arts in Geneva ESAV, 1999-2000. Her filmogrpahy includes a number of short films: Why Does the Camel Look Exhausted (1999) and This is Not a Film (2000), produced by Pro- Helvetia in Zurich and in Cairo. Do You Know Why? is her first documentary film.

Festivals/ Awards:

  • The Fifth Arab Film Festival Rotterdam in Documentary Competition: Silver Prize

Print Source:

SEMAT for Production & Distribution
8 Ali Ismael Street, Villa Karam (Ground Floor), Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
Phone/Fax: (20 2) 761 49 05
Email: semat@sematcairo.com
website: www.sematcairo.com