Cactus Flower
Fall Grant 2015 - Production Stage
Hala Elkoussy / Feature Narrative / Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Qatar / 2017 / 102 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Drama
Synopsis
Aida, a struggling actress, came to Cairo from the Delta as a university student; like many others, she stayed on in the city. One night, she and her neighbour Samiha, a fading bourgeois beauty, are kicked out on the street. With no money and nowhere to go, the two women, aided by Yassin, a street-savvy youth, embark on a labyrinthine journey across physically and mentally difficult terrain. Amid the funny and at times disastrous turns their journey takes, they move along parallel journeys of self-discovery. An extraordinary friendship grows among the unlikely trio, like a delicate flower blooming from a thorny cactus.
Credits
- Director
- Hala Elkoussy
- Screenwriter
- Hala Elkoussy
- Producer
- Houssam Elouan
- Production Company
- Transit Films
About the Director
Hala Elkoussy was born in Cairo in 1974. She studied at the American University before completing an MA in Image and Communication at Goldsmiths College, University of London, in 2002. In 2006, she completed a two-year residency at the Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. In 2010, Elkoussy was a recipient of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize, the largest monetary prize in the world granted to a visual artist. Elkoussy’s work delves into the intimate and overlooked elements of communal living to highlight the dynamics at play within the complex urban structure that is Cairo.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
Rotterdam International Film Festival 2017, Bright Future Award Competition (WP)
MOOOV Film Festival 2017, Discovery
Contacts
-
Director
Hala Elkoussy
- Phone:
- +201279520780
- Email:
- elkoussyhala@hotmail.com
-
Main Contact
Hossam Elouan
- Company:
- Transit Films
- Phone:
- +201 605 287 32
- Email:
- hossamelouan@gmail.com