Asham: A Man Called Hope (Asham)
Arab Feature Film Competition
Maggie M. Morgan / Feature Narrative / Egypt / 2012 / 87 min / Colour / HDCAM
In Arabic / English subtitles
Interests: Drama, Social Issues, Women Interest
World Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Synopsis
Dalia wants to launch an art gallery; she refuses to travel with her fiancé when he lands a job in Malaysia. Boisterous Ahlam Rida comes to Cairo from the countryside and gets a job in the ladies’ room at a mall; she has no ambitions beyond this menial task; romance strikes with a mall security officer. Ibtesam, an assistant nurse, wants a promotion and seeks the support of a doctor at the hospital where she works. Weaving together these and other stories of romantic involvement is Asham – ‘hope’ in Arabic – an ambitious young man who works in the streets selling children’s toys and handing out flyers. These characters, from varied social classes and backgrounds, have different dreams and ambitions depending on the state of their lives before and after the revolution. Director Maggie Morgan captures the pulse of everyday Cairo, reflecting the hopes of many Egyptians through her carefully sculpted characters.
About the Directors
Born in Alexandria, Maggie Morgan graduated from and now teaches film studies at the American University in Cairo. She directed her first documentary, ‘The Picture’, in 2002. Her medium-length feature ‘From Within: Her Stories’ was shown at numerous festivals, while her documentary ‘Egypt in the Eyes of Mair’ screened on MBC’s Al-Arabiya Channel in 2009.
Credits
- Director
- Maggie M. Morgan
- Screenwriter
- Maggie M. Morgan
- Producer
- Mohamed Hefzy , Film Clinic
- Editor
- Ahmad Abdallah
- Music
- Hany Adel
- Cinematographer
- Raouf Abdelaziz
- Cast
- Aly Kassem, Amina khalil, Hany Seif, Hani Eskander, Mahmoud Al Lozy, Marwa Tharwat, Mohamed Khan, Mona Al Shimi, Mina El Naggar, Naglaa Younis, Noha Al Kholy, Salma Salem, Seif El Aswany, Shady Habashy