Sherif El-Azma Screenings
Salt Beyoğlu
December 29 – December 30, 2012
Still from Television Pilot for an Egyptian Hostess, Soap Opera
Sherif El-Azma, 2003
Sherif El-Azma, 2003
SALT Beyoğlu, Walk-in Cinema
Hassan Khan and Sherif El-Azma share common concerns and apply similar methods and techniques within their respective video practices. To further expand on the conversations they often share about their work, SALT will feature two of Sherif El-Azma’s films, Rice City (2010) and Television Pilot for an Egyptian Hostess, Soap Opera (2003), in the Walk-in Cinema.
About Sherif El-Azma
Sherif El-Azma lives and works in Cairo. He is an experimental film-maker and video artist. In his works he uses the narrative strategies of cinema and media semiotics to re-question human experience. Since 1997, his work has been shown in major art institutions including the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, Camden Art Centre in London, Townhouse Gallery in Cairo, Madre Museum in Naples and the National Film Theatre in London. El-Azma is currently working on projects that involve a more classical narrative film form.
December 29, 12.00-20.00
Television Pilot for an Egyptian Hostess, Soap Opera (2003)
56 minutes
December 30, 12.00-18.00
Rice City (2010)
19 minutes
Both films are in Arabic with English subtitles.
Television Pilot for an Egyptian Hostess, Soap Opera (2003)
56 minutes
December 30, 12.00-18.00
Rice City (2010)
19 minutes
Both films are in Arabic with English subtitles.
Television Pilot for an Egyptian Hostess, Soap Opera (2003)
This pseudo soap opera pilot is an improvisation performed by a cast based on the ideas of Sherif El Azma and the writings of Nada Crema. The surreal episode chronicles two entry-level stewardesses as they interact with passengers, co-workers and superiors in a seemingly cultureless environment, allowing El-Azma to explore issues of globalization and identity via a hypothetical yet potentially real scenario.
Rice City (2010)
In an old-fashioned apartment, in an atmosphere of tension and unease, located somewhere between the real, the uncanny, and a state of dream-like delirium, suggestive symbolism and insinuations fester in the dark corners of rooms where Rice City unfolds. A self-conscious young woman, anxious, haunts the corridors; we encroach on a young black man lounging in his bed, building a city from blocks; an older man recounts a story of selling rice to his friend, who appears as a ghost. A tight-lipped scene around a dinner table, with its ripples of tension spilling beyond the bounds of this film noir featuring soundtrack, transfixing, full of suspense.
This pseudo soap opera pilot is an improvisation performed by a cast based on the ideas of Sherif El Azma and the writings of Nada Crema. The surreal episode chronicles two entry-level stewardesses as they interact with passengers, co-workers and superiors in a seemingly cultureless environment, allowing El-Azma to explore issues of globalization and identity via a hypothetical yet potentially real scenario.
Rice City (2010)
In an old-fashioned apartment, in an atmosphere of tension and unease, located somewhere between the real, the uncanny, and a state of dream-like delirium, suggestive symbolism and insinuations fester in the dark corners of rooms where Rice City unfolds. A self-conscious young woman, anxious, haunts the corridors; we encroach on a young black man lounging in his bed, building a city from blocks; an older man recounts a story of selling rice to his friend, who appears as a ghost. A tight-lipped scene around a dinner table, with its ripples of tension spilling beyond the bounds of this film noir featuring soundtrack, transfixing, full of suspense.
