Ibrahim El Batout
Encyclopedia
Ibrahim El Batout is an Egyptian filmmaker, based in Cairo
, Egypt
. Born in Port Said
on 20 September 1963.
He has worked as a director, producer and cameraman capturing stories mainly about human loss, suffering, and displacement since 1987. He has directed numerous documentaries for international TV channels, such as ZDF
, TBS
, and ARTE
. His documentary work has been honored by the Rory Peck Trust
(2003), and has received the Axel Springer Award in Germany (1994 and 2000). As well as that his drama Ein Shams took home the Golden Bull, the top prize at the 54th Taormina Film Festival, 2008.
Synopsis
From once being the capital of Egypt during the Pharaonic era and a sacred location marked by the visit of Jesus
and the Virgin Mary, Ein Shams has become one of Cairo's poorest and most neglected neighbourhoods. Through the eyes of Shams, an eleven year old girl inhabitant of this neighborhood, the film captures the sadness and magic that envelops everyday life in Egypt. In a series of heart-rending events, the diverse characters of the film showcase the intricacies of Egypt's political system and social structure, and give a glimpse into the grievances of the Middle East region and the complex relationships of its nations.
Director's Note
"In August 1988, I went to Ein Shams with my camera to document the riots against the police. In a confrontation with a policeman, I was shot on my right arm. This incident became the first of a series of distressing and violent events I observed and captured as a war documentary maker. In the 18 years that followed, I filmed 12 wars in over 30 countries. I was shot again when in June 1993 in Bosnia, yet I continued my work believing that pictures portraying the horrors of wars would make a difference. In the beginning of 2004, after completing a documentary on mass graves in Iraq, I returned in Cairo feeling disenchanted by the world and my work. The world of fiction films reinstated my love for the camera and became a venue through which I could explore the realistic style and serious subject matter characteristic of documentary making with the magic and playfulness of fictional storytelling. In 2005 I completed my first featured film Ithaki. Shot digitally and with no budget, this film received a warm welcome by audiences and rendered palpable the burgeoning market for films that are independent, experimental and bold. With Ein Shams I hope to take my fiction work a step further by making it available to wider audiences in Egypt and abroad.
Ein Shams was inspired by an encounter in September 2005. At the time I had just finished my first fiction film Ithaki and was involved in a project teaching children living in Upper Egypt how to use the art of theatre and filmmaking. Mohamed Adel Fatah, a teacher and a director who was also participating in the project, put forward the idea of positioning my next film in his neighborhood, Ein Shams. Mohamed also offered to assist me with access to people and locations. Being a place that has long haunted and fascinated me, I took up his evocation and I wrote a story that was appropriate for Ein Shams. In this film I use footage from my last visit in Iraq, thus bringing to full circle my documentary work that was marked by my first project in the Ein Shams neighborhood almost 20 years ago"
Director's Visual Concept
"I work with a form that blends documentary and fiction genres to accentuate the uncomfortable yet enchanting reality of everyday life. The film embraces the natural warm colours of Cairo to convey to the audience the mood of the city that is mirrored in the film. Ein Shams captures my commitment to exploring alternative styles of cinematic expression made possible by digital media. In the absence of big budgets and technical equipment, I employ the resources made available to me. The film combines natural settings and events with staged performances and employs both trained and non-professional actors and technical crew"
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Born in Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
on 20 September 1963.
He has worked as a director, producer and cameraman capturing stories mainly about human loss, suffering, and displacement since 1987. He has directed numerous documentaries for international TV channels, such as ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
, and ARTE
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
. His documentary work has been honored by the Rory Peck Trust
Rory Peck Award
The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events. It was set up in 1995 and is named after the Northern Irish freelance cameraman Rory Peck, who was killed while reporting on the siege of the Moscow White House in 1993....
(2003), and has received the Axel Springer Award in Germany (1994 and 2000). As well as that his drama Ein Shams took home the Golden Bull, the top prize at the 54th Taormina Film Festival, 2008.
Ein Shams (The Eye of the Sun)
- Script Tamer El Said and Ibrahim El Batout
- Camera Hesham Farouk Ibrahim
- Editor Ahmed Abdalah
- Music Amir Khalaf
- Sound Mohab Mostafa Ezz
- Art Director Shaima Aziz
- Production and Sales Sherif Mandour
- Cast Hanan Youssef, Boutros Boutros Ghaly, Ramadan Khater, Hanan Adel, Samar Abdelwahab, Mariam Abodouma
Synopsis
From once being the capital of Egypt during the Pharaonic era and a sacred location marked by the visit of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and the Virgin Mary, Ein Shams has become one of Cairo's poorest and most neglected neighbourhoods. Through the eyes of Shams, an eleven year old girl inhabitant of this neighborhood, the film captures the sadness and magic that envelops everyday life in Egypt. In a series of heart-rending events, the diverse characters of the film showcase the intricacies of Egypt's political system and social structure, and give a glimpse into the grievances of the Middle East region and the complex relationships of its nations.
Director's Note
"In August 1988, I went to Ein Shams with my camera to document the riots against the police. In a confrontation with a policeman, I was shot on my right arm. This incident became the first of a series of distressing and violent events I observed and captured as a war documentary maker. In the 18 years that followed, I filmed 12 wars in over 30 countries. I was shot again when in June 1993 in Bosnia, yet I continued my work believing that pictures portraying the horrors of wars would make a difference. In the beginning of 2004, after completing a documentary on mass graves in Iraq, I returned in Cairo feeling disenchanted by the world and my work. The world of fiction films reinstated my love for the camera and became a venue through which I could explore the realistic style and serious subject matter characteristic of documentary making with the magic and playfulness of fictional storytelling. In 2005 I completed my first featured film Ithaki. Shot digitally and with no budget, this film received a warm welcome by audiences and rendered palpable the burgeoning market for films that are independent, experimental and bold. With Ein Shams I hope to take my fiction work a step further by making it available to wider audiences in Egypt and abroad.
Ein Shams was inspired by an encounter in September 2005. At the time I had just finished my first fiction film Ithaki and was involved in a project teaching children living in Upper Egypt how to use the art of theatre and filmmaking. Mohamed Adel Fatah, a teacher and a director who was also participating in the project, put forward the idea of positioning my next film in his neighborhood, Ein Shams. Mohamed also offered to assist me with access to people and locations. Being a place that has long haunted and fascinated me, I took up his evocation and I wrote a story that was appropriate for Ein Shams. In this film I use footage from my last visit in Iraq, thus bringing to full circle my documentary work that was marked by my first project in the Ein Shams neighborhood almost 20 years ago"
Director's Visual Concept
"I work with a form that blends documentary and fiction genres to accentuate the uncomfortable yet enchanting reality of everyday life. The film embraces the natural warm colours of Cairo to convey to the audience the mood of the city that is mirrored in the film. Ein Shams captures my commitment to exploring alternative styles of cinematic expression made possible by digital media. In the absence of big budgets and technical equipment, I employ the resources made available to me. The film combines natural settings and events with staged performances and employs both trained and non-professional actors and technical crew"
Feature films
- 2005 Ithaki (D.O.P., Producer, Writer, Director)
- 2007 Ein Shams (The Eye of the Sun) (Writer and Director)
Selected Documentaries
- 1996 Slavery in Southern Sudan (ZDF)
- 1998 The Beginning of the War in Kosovo (ZDF)
- 1999 The War in Kosovo (ZDF)
- 1999 Nagib Mahfouz: Passage du siecle (ARTE)
- 2000 A Day of an Ambulance Driver in Ramalla, Palestine (ZDF)
- 2001 Three German Women Living in Gaza (WDR Germany)
- 2001 The River that Connects Future EC Countries (ZDF)
- 2002 Pilgrimage to Mecca (ZDF)
- 2002 Drug Addiction in Kuwait (ZDF)
- 2003 Mass Graves in Iraq (ZDF)
- 2004 Baghdad (ZDF)
- 2006 26 Seconds in Pakistan (Islamic Relief Foundation)
- 2007 I am a Refugee in Cairo (Al Jazeera International)
Awards and honors
- 1991:Honorary Award TBSTokyo Broadcasting System, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
for the coverage of the first Gulf War - 1994 Axel Springer Award for Female Circumcision in Ethiopia
- 1996 ECHO for The Victim of a War that Ended
- 2000 Axel Springer Award for A Day of an Ambulance Driver in Ramalla
- 2003 Rory Peck Sony International Impact Award Finalist for Mass Graves in Iraq
- 2008 The Golden Tauro at the Taormina Film Festival for Ein Shams
- 2008 The Best First Film Award in Roterdam Arab Film Festival for Ein Shams
- 2008 Special Jury Mention in Cathage International film Festival
External links and references
- Ithaki blogspot (Arabic)
- Article about Ibrahim EL Batout in Al-Ahram Weekly (English)
- Article about Ithaki by Joseph Fahim (English)
- Article about Ein Shams by Joseph Fahim (English)
- Article in Al Hayat (Arabic)
- The Rory Peck Awards 2003
- A short documentary about Ibrahim el Batout
- Ein Shams trailer
- Ithaki trailer