Alwan for the Arts and 3rd i NY Collaborative Monthly Film Series present

Hassan and Morcos

Egyptian screen icons Omar Sharif and Adel Imam team up for the first-time in this razor sharp satire about religious intolerance.

TUE, 6/23, @ 7:30 PM
Tribeca Cinemas

Tickets: $10: http://www.tribecacinemas.com/TC_Pop_Up/

ABOUT THE FILM:

Hassan and Morcos / Hassan wa Morkos
(Ramy Imam, Egypt, 2008, Arabic with English ST, 115min)

The Arab world's greatest-ever film star Omar Sharif teams up for the first time with the Arab world's biggest box office draw Adel Imam in Hassan and Morcos, an often hilarious satire which attempts to tackle religious bigotry in Egypt. The film revolves around a Christian priest (Imam) and Muslim preacher (Sharif) who survive separate assassination attempts. Now on the run, the two men - who don't know each other - take refuge in a safe house in a downtown Cairo neighborhood and assume different identities, with Imam's character pretending to be a Muslim and Sharif a Christian.

As their friendship grows, so too does their new neighborhood's dissatisfaction with the two men's closeness until events come to a head in a powerful, climactic showdown. The film has already been one of the biggest hits in Egypt this year, where its subject matter has sparked a national debate on the tensions between the country's majority Muslim and minority Christian populations.

While a box office success in Egypt, its message proved so controversial that Facebook groups sporting Adel Imam's picture in Coptic garb called for a boycott of his movies. Imam, Sharif and other collaborators on the film have vehemently defended its content and criticised many conservatives and religious extremists who consider it blasphemous.

Imam said of the film:"I have declared war using art against the extremists - against those who foment differences between us. I hope Christians and Muslims will leave the cinema and embrace one another."

For more Info & Trailer visit: http://www.hassanwamorcos.com/

Sponsored by the General Councilate of Egypt, New York

Last updated: 2009-06-20 23:02:00