Boujloud Cinema
Bel Lei Al Zaman – Nile Café – Egypt
Tribute to the Baladi culture of the Nile
For family audiences and young people
In partnership with the French Institute in Fes
In collaboration with Adil El Achhab
PROGRAMME FOR FAMILY AUDIENCES (open to all)
22h00 – SATURDAY 13, SUNDAY 14, MONDAY 15 & TUESDAY 16 MAY
23h00 – WEDNESDAY 17 MAY
In a small village café near Luxor, amongst the shisha and festive lights of saint’s days, discover one of the most joyous popular traditions of the Arab world.
See the description below.
See also the day-to-day programme.
10h00 – THURSDAY 18 MAY
Show featuring the Musicians of the Nile and the children of Fes.
PROGRAMME FOR FES SCHOOLCHILDREN
- FILM THE CHILDREN OF THE NILE, BY AURELIE CHAULEUR
This documentary has been especially made for the young and shows the life of the children of the Musicians of the Nile in the suburb of Abu Djoud in Luxor.
See the description below.
- NILE CAFÉ SHOW – DANCE, MUSIC AND MAGIC
This show specially produced for the Fes Festival introduces some of the characters found in the film and shows some traditions of the Nile.
See the description below.
MONDAY 15 MAY AT BOUJLOUD CINEMA
09h00 – Film screening The Children of the Nile
10h00 – Nile Café Show, followed by a meeting with the young audience – with the participation of the producer Aurélie Chauleur.
15h00 – Film screening The Children of the Nile
16h00 – Nile Café Show, followed by a meeting with the young audience – with the participation of the producer Aurélie Chauleur.
TUESDAY 16 MAY AT BOUJLOUD CINEMA
09h00 – Film screening The Children of the Nile
10h00 – Nile Café Show, followed by a meeting with the young audience – with the participation of the producer Aurélie Chauleur.
15h00 – Film screening The Children of the Nile
16h00 – Nile Café Show, followed by a meeting with the young audience – with the participation of the producer Aurélie Chauleur.
WEDNESDAY 17 MAY AT BOUJLOUD CINEMA
09h00 – Film screening The Children of the Nile
10h00 – Nile Café Show, followed by a meeting with the young audience – with the participation of the producer Aurélie Chauleur.
15h00 – Film screening The Children of the Nile
16h00 – Nile Café Show, followed by a meeting with the young audience – with the participation of the producer Aurélie Chauleur.
THURSDAY 18 MAY AT BOUJLOUD CINEMA
10h00 – Show bringing together the Musicians of the Nile and the children of Fes.
Adil El Achhab, Co-ordinator
Free entry
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Film The Children of the Nile by Aurélie Chauleur
France – 2013 – 46 min. – Languages: French/Arabic
Seen through the eyes of the children, The Children of the Nile depicts a very special journey through the heart of traditional life in Upper Egypt. The film takes place in Abu Djoud, the gipsy quarter of Luxor, not far from the Karnak temple. It features Raouda and Bastud, two children from the large family of Mohammed Murad, leader of the world famous group The Musicians of the Nile.
Master of the rababah, Mohamed bought up some old earthen houses over time: small, narrow buildings with dangerously juxtaposed floors destined for his new offspring. His stronghold is at the bottom of a cul-de-sac with a surreal medieval atmosphere.
Now a grandfather as all his 26 children are married, Mohamed reigns over a community of more than 70 people. His family, the Mataqils clan, is the largest family of musicians in Upper Egypt.
Between the rural world and a popular suburb, we are here in a microcosm of society where small artisans, peasants, musicians and merchants come and go, calling out to each other and parading up and down all day in a magical hubbub.
On foot, on horseback or by felucca, Raouda and Bastud show us their daily life: the street, the suburb, the banks of the Nile and traditional festivals.
Nile Café Show – Dance, music & magic
This show, specially written for the Fes Festival, explores some of the Saî’id traditions for which Mohamed Murad – whom we meet in the film The Children of the Nile – is custodian.
The Musicians of the Nile are inheritors of a flawless oral tradition, and with their virtuoso rababah – a fiddle made with horsehair, coconut and fish skin from the Nile – they give voice to epic songs. In a flurry of trills, they know how to tell of the wonder of a starry night and even more so, of daily life through simple poetry rich in innuendo.
The tanoura dance originally came from the Mevlevi order (or Mawlawiya in Arabic), and goes back to the whirling dervishes of Konya and Aleppo. The dancer turns ecstatically in a truly cosmic incantation, and one by one takes off the four multicoloured robes that evoke the seasons. His right arm is upturned to the sky and the left turned towards the earth, symbolising the meeting between the two elements. This dance is performed by two teenagers from Abou Djoud, one of whom is Bastud who appears in the film.
We will also see the traditional stick dance (Raks Al-Tahtib) and some tricks from the magician and illusionist Mohammed Mustafa Bakhit.
