A Tale of a Feather and a Fish(2023)

Egypt, Egyptian Arabic - 115 min

Director

Ahmed El-Hawarey

Color

Length

115 min

Language

Egyptian Arabic

Producer

Hala Lotfy

INFORMATION

ahmedalhawary@ymail.com

A Tale of a Feather and a Fish

Egypt

LogLine

Mahmoud & Laila inherit a rare genetic disease that causes severe paralysis, which has left their family in an endless circle of doubt and fear, desperately seeking salvation, which they find in abundance through Laila & Mahmoud.

Synopsis

Nagat and Fouad lost two sons in an early age due to a rare genetic disease that can only be transmitted by its females. Afterwards Foad travelled to work abroad in an attempt to cope with the pain of loss, and left his wife Nagat taking care of their son Mahmoud who survived having total paralysis. The Film begins with Fouad’s ambiguous return. He returns with no luggage, worn-out, bad-tempered, hiding traces of physical abuse on his back. After so many years Fouad is still unable to accept, full of disappointment and anger towards his life .He leans upon drugs to mute his pain and starts lamenting about his life misery with Nagat, noting that she is the one who carries the doomed gene which is responsible for the inevitable illness and death of his sons. Nagat stands helpless at the face of his tantrums. Fouad’s drug abuse leads him to nightmarish hallucinations of himself killing Mahmoud, and appears to be slipping into insanity. On the other side, Mariam, Nagat’s Nephew, is the caregiver of her only sister Laila. Mariam is not affected, yet she carries the disease which she does not want to pass on. Nagat and Mariam are dedicated, efficient caregivers; nevertheless, they feel unworthy and defective, marked with the shame of carrying the disease. In parallel narratives, Mariam, Nagat, and Fouad march their paths seeking salvation. The two plot-lines intersect through Mahmoud and Laila who inspire and orient their caregivers to a broader horizon.

Ahmed El-Hawarey

Director

Director’s Statement

“A Tale of a Feather and a Fish” is a family drama with the subgenre of disability culture, enveloped with a tone of magical realism. The film is much more than a distant observation of life; the film and its characters are inspired by my family. “A Tale of a Feather and a Fish” is about disappointment, frustration and anger towards the harsh adversities of life that fall upon us randomly without discrimination. And we are struck by a sense of powerlessness in the face of changing such situations. Yet, the film also simultaneously explores feelings of love, mutual understanding, and the ability to truly connect with one another. Sometimes, these basic feelings have the power to create profound change. Throughout the story, insects, animals, and birds play important roles in the characters’ lives, at times by sending them vital messages which lead them to significant insights or realizations, and at other times by directly playing a key role in their healing process which is a main theme in the script. I believe that the spiritual element in “Tale of a Feather and a Fish” is the most inspiring layer of the film, as it softens the harshness of the bare material world, which on its own would render life pointless. Seeing the spiritual perspective through Mahmoud, Laila, animals, birds, and the soul-cleansing element of nature, gives our characters a chance to believe in healing and hold on to the desire to find reason enough to cope and survive.

Hala Lotfy

Producer

Producer’s Note

This is an outstanding multi-layered film project. Although it is a “Film auteur” Where the director is concerned with his subject in a very special way; and in-spite of the difficulty of his chosen subject in cinema, one can see clearly the great potential in this film to communicate gracefully with a wide spectrum of audience. The film gracefully does that by acquiring a simple and delicate humane approach while creating a bright plot which touches the field of mystery intelligently without having it necessarily as its primary target. One could see clearly the mature perspective with which the subject of the film is being tackled. This mature approach protects the author from falling into the trap of egoistic talent display and the pushy need to say everything possible. He sticks to say just what is necessary and leaves the unsaid to address his audience each one according to his/her readiness and will. In addition, I much admire El-Hawarey’s artistic choice of using professionals/stars as part of making his film closer to a wider range of audience. I believe that this project tackles subjects that have never been dealt with in the Arab cinema in a very unique and special way. I hope that this film opens the possibility again for author film directors to work with box office stars who have their loving fans. Lastly, I wish for this film to be the start of our genuine Egyptian Cinema, rich with real stories that stand in the heart of its audience and in the heart of time.

Producer’s Filmography

Hassala Films is an Egyptian production collective based in Cairo, it was founded in 2011 by a group of independent filmmakers who share the same thoughts of working in low budget forms to produce feature projects (fiction and documentary) with challenging content and an artistic value. Hassala was a founding member of the "Arab Film Market" which was established in Cannes 2013.

Filmography:

"Coming Forth by Day" by Hala Lotfy 2012 The film joined the "Greatest 100 Arab Films" list made by Dubai

"Om Ghayeb" by Nadine Salib 2014 received the FIPRESCI award for best Documentary

"Little Eagles" by Mohamed Rashad 2016 Received Best Film in Malmo Arab FF 2017 and Jury Prize in Luxor African FF 2017

“Exterior/ Night” by Ahmad Abdalla 2018 premiered in Toronto IFF and then in official competition in Cairo IFF, best Actor prize

Also: “The Profession” 2019 - “On the Fence” 2020 - “Behind a Transparent Wall” 2021 - “Light Upon Light” 2022 

Upcoming Project:

"The land Beyond" - Written & Directed By: Nadine Salib

"The Settlement" - Written & Directed By: Mohamed Rashad

"A Tale of a Feather and a Fish" Written By: Ibrahim EL-Batout & Ahmed EL-Hawarey Directed By: Ahmed EL-Hawarey