The Virgin, the Copts and Me
Fall Grant 2011 - Post-Production Stage
Namir Abdel Messeeh / Feature Documentary / France, Qatar, Egypt / 2012 / 91 min / Colour / Original Language: Arabic, French / Interests: Comedy, Documentary, Religion, Social Issues, Family, Identity
Synopsis
Namir is a French filmmaker of Egyptian origin. One day he watches a videotape of the Virgin Mary’s apparition in Egypt with his mother who, like millions of other Copts, sees the Virgin on the screen while he sees nothing. Skeptical about the videotape, Namir travels back to Egypt to make a film about the bizarre occurrence of these apparitions.
Credits
- Director
- Namir Abdel Messeeh
- Screenwriter
- Namir Abdel Messeeh, Nathalie Najem, Anne Paschetta
- Producer
- Namir Abdel Messeeh
About the Director
Born in 1974, Namir Abdel Messeeh lived his early childhood in Upper Egypt. He is currently based in France where he obtained a Masters degree in cinema from the University of Paris VII and studied directing at FEMIS. He directed two short fiction films before exploring more personal questions through his short documentary ‘You, Waguih’ (2005)”.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2011, in Arab Feature Documentary Competition (Qatar)
AwardsWon Best Arab Documentary Feature at Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2011 (Qatar)
Won the 3rd Audience Award in Berlinale Panorama at the Berlin International Film Festival 2012 (Germany)
Won the Silver Tanit for Best Documentary at Carthage Film Festival 20