Lebanese Director: Cairo Film Festival Gave My Film 'Silent Dog' an Independent Life and Opened Doors to the World
Sarah Francis's participation in the Cairo Film Festival was an exceptional experience.
SUMMARY
Sarah Francis discusses her experience at the Cairo Film Festival and its impact on her film.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- An exceptional experience on both professional and human levels.
- The film has gained an independent presence.
CORE SUBJECT
Cairo Film Festival
Lebanese director Sarah Francis stated that her participation in the recent edition of the Cairo Film Festival was an exceptional experience on both professional and human levels.
She added in exclusive statements to "Cairo News Channel" that cinematic work usually goes through a long path filled with adventure, questions, and difficulties.
She explained that the filmmaker spends months isolating themselves, working diligently to complete their project, before reaching the moment when the film meets the audience and begins to gain a life of its own.
She noted that the screening of her film "Silent Dog" at the festival made her feel for the first time that the work was no longer just the property of its creators, but had gained an independent presence, traveling from one country to another and meeting new viewers.
She emphasized that this new existence of the film and the audience's interaction with it were among the most impactful moments for her and the team.
She recalled that having the entire crew present at the festival brought back memories of the filming days, when they would "take steps together" to create the characters, eating, drinking, and thinking together on a shared journey whose destination they did not know.
She pointed out that this shared journey gave the experience a profound human character, making the experience of seeing the film today as it opens up to the world extremely moving.
She confirmed that her participation in the festival also provided her with the opportunity to meet filmmakers from Arab and international countries, which is not something that happens often.
She stressed the importance of having cinematic gatherings that bring together directors and audiences under one roof to discuss experiences, exchange knowledge, and watch each other's films.
She concluded by saying that the Cairo Festival provided a necessary space for creative communication and for presenting films in an environment that appreciates art and gives it the opportunity to live and grow.