The Egyptian art scene and social networking sites recently witnessed an “unannounced” competition between artists Mohamed Ramadan and Ahmed Al-Awadi, following the announcement of their participation in the upcoming Ramadan drama marathon by topping the “popular” drama championship. The drama season witnesses the return of Mohamed Ramadan through the series “Ashmawi”, written by Mohamed Ismail Amin and directed by Peter Mimi, since he presented the series “Jaafar Al-Omda” years ago, while Ahmed Al-Awadi has become accustomed during the past years to topping the drama championship in Ramadan season regularly, the most recent of which was “Ali Clay” last year, and the most recent of which was “Sultan Al-Deeb”, which he will compete with next season.
In a move to end the “best” debate that was associated with them, Mohamed Ramadan wrote through his accounts, on Tuesday, a “social” message, signed by “Number One,” in which he expressed his admiration for Ahmed Al-Awadi’s love for the simple, and his pride in them and his affiliation with them, stressing that they “contributed to the creation of many figures over the course of a long history.”
Muhammad Ramadan concluded his message to Al-Awadi, saying: “It is true that you are older than me, but I took my chance in the championship before you, and this means that you are my older brother in age, and I am the older brother in championships,” stressing his desire to watch one of the “Sultan Al-Deeb” episodes with him during the month of Ramadan.
Ahmed Al-Awadi responded to Muhammad Ramadan’s message immediately, stressing that they are brothers and no one is older than the other, especially since the age difference between them does not exceed a year and a half, according to Al-Awadi’s post.
Ahmed Al-Awadi added to “Number One”: “You are the largest in the number of works, and I love the simple people very much, and they are the reason for our existence.” Al-Awadi wished Ramadan a strong return after an absence of 3 years, pointing out that his presence this year “will ignite the spirit of honest competition between them, which will ultimately be in the interest of the viewers.”
Al-Awadi asked Muhammad Ramadan to participate in the drama every year, and invited him to watch the first episode of “Sultan El-Deeb” in his area (Ain Shams) to celebrate his success, according to his post.
After writing the letter addressed to Al-Awadi, the name Mohamed Ramadan topped the “trend” on Google on Tuesday in Egypt, and before that they made statements last September about “the highest paid” and “the most viewed” interface. While Mohamed Ramadan wrote through his accounts on “Social Media” that he is “number one” in salary and “not greedy... but (Ashmawy),” Al-Awadi confirmed that he is the highest paid, and the most Watch, during a media appearance.
Regarding his opinion on the debate taking place in “social media” between Ahmed Al-Awadi and Mohamed Ramadan, and the hidden skirmishes that occur between them from time to time, art critic Imad Yousry confirmed to “Asharq Al-Awsat” that “what happened between them today is clever, especially since they have an audience that interacts a lot with their posts,” considering what happened “a means of promotion.”
Before today's messages of affection and love, the skirmishes between Ramadan and Al-Awadi did not stop during the past days. Rather, each of them used to promote his series through posts carrying hidden messages for the other, according to comments, including what Mohamed Ramadan wrote, such as: “For 3 years, he did what he had... Now (Ashmawi) has come,” and in another post: “Whoever expects the name of my song with Issam Sassa to be correct will not gain anything... Because my goal is to entertain you, I will not distract you from listening.” Meanwhile, Al-Awadi wrote: “In the opinion of (Sultan Al-Deeb)... returning after the parking lot was too much for Ounta,” and “The place you are returning to is our nature.”
In turn, the art critic believes that “what is happening between Ramadan and Al-Awadi is a struggle over the stardom of the next Ramadan season,” explaining that “the audience is the one entrusted with resolving this debate, after following the dramatic text, which is considered to have the highest say in determining (the best).”
The past few hours have witnessed a legal escalation in the personal crisis existing between Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egyptian national football team, and his ex-wife, after it was announced that legal measures had been taken against her, against the backdrop of accusations related to forgery and polygamy, which sparked an uproar in Egypt, and pushed Hossam Hassan’s name to the most widely discussed list.
Press reports stated that Hossam Hassan’s lawyers, Ahmed and Amir Mortada Mansour, submitted an official complaint to the Public Prosecutor against his ex-wife, Dina Mustafa, known in the media as “Dan Adam,” which included accusations of forgery in official papers and bringing spouses together at the same time.
The report stated that the details of the marriage date back to August 20, 2015, when a legal customary marriage contract was concluded between the two parties. According to the first clause of the contract, the wife explicitly acknowledged that she is free of any legal impediments, and that she is not under the responsibility of another man.
The report explained that Hossam Hassan later discovered that his ex-wife was still legally and effectively married to a former husband at the time of concluding the common-law marriage contract, noting that the two lawyers presented official documents that they said proved that the actual divorce between her and her ex-husband did not occur until February 18, 2017, that is, about a year and a half after her common-law marriage to Hossam Hassan.
The report called for a member of the Public Prosecution to be assigned to conduct investigations, and to confront the coach’s ex-wife with the evidence and documents in his possession, which he said supported his position.
On the other hand, the crisis escalated when Ahmed Badawi, the first husband of the “Pharaohs” coach’s ex-wife, made press statements in which he denied what was reported about her getting together with Hossam Hassan at the same time, stressing that the news circulating was “a lie and slander,” and that Hossam Hassan was fully aware of their separation. He indicated that he would take legal measures against the Egyptian national team coach “to preserve the rights of his ex-wife and the mother of his children,” he said.
On the other hand, lawyer Muhammad Shams, Dan Adam’s defense attorney, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the entire dispute is nothing more than “sent statements that have no connection to reality,” expressing his complete confidence in the course of official investigations and the rule of law.
He explained that his client or her defense team have not yet been officially notified of the details of the report, noting that the matter first requires the Public Prosecutor to assess the seriousness of the submitted report, stressing that “reports that lack seriousness are naturally destined to be filed.” He added: “We are waiting for the investigation to be officially opened so that our response will be supported by conclusive papers and documents.”
The defense described the accusations against its client as “illogical,” completely denying the validity of the allegations related to bringing together a married couple. He stressed, "If the other party presents customary marriage contracts or evidence of that, we will respond to them and refute them in detail through the competent judicial authorities."
The defense indicated that the opponent’s move coincides with the course of the ongoing legal dispute regarding the issues of expenses and marital housing, pointing out that its client has already obtained an official decision to “enable” the marital residence, while the expenses issues are still being discussed before the competent courts. He expressed his belief that matters would become clear, and that this report would end quickly because, according to him, it was not based on real facts.
Demands for Hossam Hassan's resignation
On the other hand, social media platforms reflected the extent of the uproar caused by the crisis of Hossam Hassan and his ex-wife, after the personal complaint turned into a widely raised issue, with moral, legal, and sporting dimensions.
The communication opened the door to discussion about the circumstances of marriage and divorce, especially noting that the marriage took place under a “customary contract,” amid harsh criticism of the relationship, the repercussions of which went beyond the limits of the legal crisis raised.
Opinions were divided between supporters of the complainant and those sympathetic to the complainant, while a third party demanded the intervention of “good people” between the two parties, to end the dispute amicably, in order to preserve their interests and the interests of their children.
As the uproar caused by the personal dispute expanded, sports demands emerged for Hossam Hassan’s resignation from his position, against the backdrop of a series of crises surrounding him inside and outside the green rectangle.
The most prominent of these demands came from Mahmoud Abdel Razek “Shikabala,” the former captain of the Zamalek team, who, in televised statements, called on the Egyptian national team coach to leave his position, considering that training the national team requires calm, maintaining prestige, and staying away from controversy and crises.
While this claim sparked interaction between supporters and opponents, sports critic Mustafa Saber told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hossam Hassan’s personal life must be separated from his responsibilities as technical director of the Egyptian national team, explaining that it is not right to judge him technically because of their personal differences.
He continued: “But at the same time, the continuation of these crises at the forefront of the media scene may cause a state of pressure and distraction, especially since the national team needs calm and stability before its upcoming matches. Hossam Hassan is required to put the national team at the top of his priorities, and to completely separate his personal life from his work.”
He concluded by saying: “We need to support the national team at this stage, and Hossam Hassan must respond to the criticism through results and performance on the field.”
In the face of harsh conditions, the “Gaza Women’s Film Festival” was able to establish its presence, not only in the cinematic scene, but also in the Palestinian scene, through films documenting the crimes of the occupation and the suffering of Palestinian women under the burden of war. These films were signed by female Gazan directors undergoing their first experiences, as part of the “Women Who Create Life from Death” team, revealing promising cinematic talents in the second session of the festival, which concluded on Saturday.
Palestinian director Mai Al-Masry congratulated the festival and the young talents, noting that the films were the result of the first filmmaking training course, which was held over a period of 8 months. She added, via a recorded tape, that the course witnessed the participation of 25 girls and women from Gaza, and she believed that she learned a lot on a personal level during her supervision of this course, and expressed her pride in these talents coming out of Gaza.
The second session of the festival witnessed the screening of 9 short films by female directors from Gaza, who turned stories from the reality of their lives into films documenting human stories from the heart of war and displacement. It also witnessed the participation of 73 films representing 24 Arab and foreign countries, and the festival held for the first time 3 competitions for feature films, short fiction and short documentaries, in addition to a competition specializing in national films.
Among the Palestinian films screened at the festival were “The Newsroom” by Malak Odeh, “The Window” by Elham Abu Qas, “Beyond Silence” by Raghda Al-Buhaisi, “Soso the Line of Life” by Kawthar Abu Al-Hussein, and “Remnants of Light” by Hanadi Abu Salah, which won the “Golden Orange” award for best national short film. Hanadi had lost her family in the war, and she dedicated the film to the martyrs of Gaza, and thanked the festival and everyone who gave the women and girls of Gaza the opportunity to make films from the midst of pain and rubble.
These films were filmed with cell phone cameras, under the supervision of Dr. Ezz El-Din Shallah, President of the Festival, in his capacity as field supervisor, and director Mai Al-Masry, in her capacity as general supervisor of films.
The opening of the second session of the festival was accompanied by the inauguration of the “Gaza Film Academy”, in the presence of female filmmakers and a Palestinian audience of young and old. The academy was established during the last session of the Venice Film Festival, last September, at the initiative of 9 founders, namely Ezz El-Din Shallah, Mai Al-Masry, Anne-Marie Jacir, Hiyam Abbas, Saleh Bakri, Grazbella Bild Sahaim, Rami Youssef, and Alaa Karkouti.
The festival’s president, Ezz El-Din Shallah, says: “We had launched an opportunity to learn cinema and obtain a diploma in filmmaking for female directors, and then we developed this initiative with the announcement of the launch of (Gaza Academy), with the participation of 7 founders who are senior filmmakers. It is an academy affiliated with the festival, which is its main platform.”
The festival was held in the destroyed Nakheel Hall, amid the rubble of buildings. In statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, Shallah pointed out the significance of holding the festival in a destroyed place, saying: “We wanted to send a message to the world that, despite the destruction and death that surround us on all sides, we are determined to love life. It is a message to the international community that follows the news, but does not see the depth of things. Our films tell what is behind the news, tell stories that the news does not show, and also document in audio and video the crimes of the occupation.”
He added: “The Israeli occupation systematically destroyed Palestinian cultural halls, so we decided to hold the festival in a displacement camp,” stressing that they faced problems with electricity and the Internet during the course.
Shallah provides an account statement for the second session of the festival, saying: “We organized 3 competitions for films participating for the first time, after we were content in the first session with showing films only. We also produced films by Palestinian female directors, after teaching them filmmaking, so that the festival moved from being a mere screening platform to a festival that held competitions, discovered promising talents, and showed films they had produced. This is a great achievement for us in its second session.”
Despite the festival's impressive attendance, it does not receive any support. Shallah concludes his speech by saying: “We asked for support from the Ministry of Culture, but we did not find any interest.”
Palestinian critic Ola Al-Sheikh believes that the importance of the “Gaza Women’s Film Festival” lies not only in holding cinematic screenings within the Gaza Strip, but also in the idea it carries, and in its insistence on keeping women present in the cultural scene, not only as victims of war, but as having experience and vision, and capable of expression, creativity, and image-making.
She added, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat: “At a time when war is trying to destroy place, people, and memory, Gaza chooses to tell its story with the camera. By showing films and focusing on training young women and empowering them with filmmaking tools, the festival opens the way for a new generation of Palestinian women filmmakers, who are able to tell the stories of their society from within, away from stereotypes or narratives written on their behalf.”
