Award winning 'Microphone' to be screened at BFI, London

Microphone — the second and critically acclaimed movie by Egyptian independent filmmaker Ahmed Abdalla — will be screened on consecutive evenings at London's British Film Institute: on Friday, 15 November, and Saturday, 16 November. Released in 2010, the movie reached Cairo cinemas the same week as the 25 January uprising, depicting the struggles, frustrations and creative energy of Egypt's youth, who would eventually launch the revolution. "Following Ahmed Abdalla’s debut feature film, Heliopolis, Microphone alternates between documentary and fiction, as it follows two film students, Salma (Yousra El-Lozy) and Magdy (Ahmed Magdy), who are making a documentary about Alexandria’s budding underground art scene," wrote Menna Taher in her review of the movie shortly after its release in 2010. "The playful ever-moving camera mirrors the Alexandrian youths it represents, who are in constant motion roaming about the city on skateboards, running or walking, yet never in cars. Abdalla is quite masterful in depicting a city and its spirit. Along with the stories presented, he weaves footage of the city and its ordinary citizens going about their daily lives," Taher continued. Microphone has won numerous awards, including Best Editing Award from the Dubai International Film Festival (2010), the Tanit d'or from Journées cinématographiques de Carthage (2010), Best Film from the Alexandria International Film Festival (2010), Best Arabic-language Film from the Cairo International Film Festival (2010), Großer Preis der Stadt Freistadt from the Festival Der neue Heimatfilm (2011), the Golden Tulip from the Istanbul International Film Festival (2011), the Griot Best Film Award from the African Film Festival of Tarifa (2011) and the Special Mention of the Granada International Film Festival Cines del Sur (2011). Abdalla was born in Cairo and studied music before turning to editing films and documentaries. His features include Heliopolis (2009), Microphone (2010), 18 Days (2011) and Rags and Tatters (2013). Source: Ahram Online