Camera Obscura
Fall Grants 2024 - Development Stage
Viola Shafik / Feature Narrative / Egypt, Germany, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Arabic, French / Interests: Historical Drama
Synopsis
“Set towards the end of the 1883 cholera epidemic and the onset of the British protectorate in Egypt, ‘Camera Obscura’ tells the story of a complex cross-cultural friendship. The two markedly different yet similarly marginalised “angry” female characters are both scarred by their pasts. Antonia von Auen, a German photographer and socialist feminist, is forced into political exile by the authorities in her homeland. Her counterpart, Malak, an Egyptian doctor, has been cornered by her husband through false allegations, causing her to lose her position at a neighbourhood clinic in Alexandria. Together, they embark on a challenging journey to Luxor (Thebes), confronting not only the physical trials of their voyage but also the deep wounds and constraints of their own pasts.
“
Credits
- Director
- Viola Shafik
- Screenwriter
- Viola Shafik
- Producer
- Christopher Zitterbart
- Production Company
- Watchmen Productions
About the Director
Viola Shafik is a filmmaker, curator, lecturer, and film scholar, and the author of ‘Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity’ (1998/2016). She has taught film at the American University in Cairo and various other institutions, and has served as a consultant and selection committee member for numerous international festivals and film funds, including La Biennale di Venezia, the Berlinale, Dubai Film Market, and the World Cinema Fund. Viola has directed several documentaries, including ‘My Name Is Not Ali’ (2011) and ‘Scent of Revolution’ (2014), which premiered at the Berlinale.
Contacts
-
Main Contact
Lina Soualem
-
Main Contact
Jean-Marie Nizan
- Company:
- Beall Production
- Phone:
- 607971251
- Email:
- jean-marie@beall.fr