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El Medina

  • 1999
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
316
YOUR RATING
El Medina (1999)
Drama

A young Egyptian with acting ambitions leaves his country for France with dreams of becoming a movie star, much to the disgust of his father, who wants him to move to Saudi Arabia and get ri... Read allA young Egyptian with acting ambitions leaves his country for France with dreams of becoming a movie star, much to the disgust of his father, who wants him to move to Saudi Arabia and get rich.A young Egyptian with acting ambitions leaves his country for France with dreams of becoming a movie star, much to the disgust of his father, who wants him to move to Saudi Arabia and get rich.

  • Director
    • Yousry Nasrallah
  • Writers
    • Nasser Abdel-Rahmane
    • Claire Denis
    • Yousry Nasrallah
  • Stars
    • Basem Samrah
    • Ahmed Fouad Selim
    • Abla Kamel
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    316
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Yousry Nasrallah
    • Writers
      • Nasser Abdel-Rahmane
      • Claire Denis
      • Yousry Nasrallah
    • Stars
      • Basem Samrah
      • Ahmed Fouad Selim
      • Abla Kamel
    • 1User review
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos4

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    Top cast40

    Edit
    Basem Samrah
    Basem Samrah
    • Ali
    • (as Bassem Samra)
    Ahmed Fouad Selim
    • Ata Awadain
    Abla Kamel
    • Bannoura
    Seif Abdelrahman
    Seif Abdelrahman
    • Mounir
    Sari Al Nagar
    • Fox
    Aurélia Alcaïs
    Rene Aquaviva
    Ahmed Azmi
    Ahmed Azmi
    • Yassir
    Thuraya Baghdadi
    Basma
    Basma
    • Nadia
    Menha Batraoui
    Randa Al Bishani
    • Fathiya
    Didier Brengarth
    Charlie
      Inês de Medeiros
      • Agnès
      Thibault de Montalembert
      Hassan El Adl
      • Saeed
      • (as Hasan El-Adl)
      Stefan Elbaum
      • Director
        • Yousry Nasrallah
      • Writers
        • Nasser Abdel-Rahmane
        • Claire Denis
        • Yousry Nasrallah
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews1

      6.7316
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      Featured reviews

      8Rainsford55

      Exceptional Viewing

      Shown in Australia as "The City", this exceptional film is an excellently written story.

      The main character "Ali" (Bassem Samra),is a young accountancy graduate with a passion for acting. He leaves Egypt for France in the hope he might find an acting career and a better life. But his dreams infuriate his father who wants him to move to Saudi Arabia and become rich. In France Ali meets Roschdy, who helps him find work, accommodation and gets him a fake ID. But his life becomes a constant battle in more ways than one as he struggles to hide his real identity.

      Though this was apparently filmed on 35mm film, it does come across at different times as though it was filmed on someone's home video and so you do get the feeling you are watching an amateur production. However there is some excellent acting from Samra who captures the essence of the role and his supporting cast offer strong back-up.

      Well worth the time to watch, I share the loneliness of "Ali" in his time in France as a foreigner in a unwelcoming country.

      A well rounded story where our hero finds his true self in end. Excellent viewing.

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Many of the scenes of the film were improvised during the workshops held in preparation. Most notable is the scene where Ali (B. Samra) and his friends were drinking on the Nile. Samra saw this in real life and thought it fit well with the film.
      • Quotes

        [Ali is on the roof memorizing his role in a play while being surrounded by ducks and hens, he then picks up a white duck which he named De Niro]

        Ali: Mother, don't slaughter de Niro.

        Bannoura, the mother: Who?

        Ali: De Niro!

      • Connections
        Featured in Humbert Balsan, producteur rebelle (2006)
      • Soundtracks
        Zay Wa Ana Sagher
        Performed by Aziz Wajeh

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      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • July 5, 2000 (France)
      • Countries of origin
        • Egypt
        • France
      • Languages
        • Arabic
        • French
      • Also known as
        • The Town
      • Filming locations
        • Cairo, Egypt
      • Production companies
        • Ognon Pictures
        • ARTE
        • Foundation Montecinema Verità
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 48 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Stereo

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