زهــــرة الـصـبــار
MAHMOUD LOTFY
assistant director
زهرة الصبار قصة ثلاثة غرباء تجمعهم الظروف عندما يفقدون كل شيء في لحظة
الحكاية حكاية مقاومة بالصداقة والحلم والعمل
Cactus Flower is the story of three strangers who come together after
a banal catastrophe leaves them homeless in Cairo, a city on the verge.
تخرج محمود لطفي من مدرسة السينما المستقلة التابعة لجمعية النهضة للعلوم والنهضة الثقافية وهو يعمل في مجال الانتاج التليفزيوني والسينمائي منذ سنين عدة كمنتج ومصور ومساعد مخرج. تعاون محمود لطفي مع هالة القوصي كمساعد مخرج في مشروعي فلان الفلاني (٢٠١٢) والمصري (٢٠١٣). أخرج لطفي عددا من الأفلام القصيرة وعمل كمساعد مخرج على الفيلم الروائي الأول للمخرج أحمد مجدي وأخرج فيلمه الروائي الأول صيف تجريبي والمقرر له الظهور قريبا
Mahmoud Lotfy has graduated from the Independent Film School in Al Nahda Association for Science and Cultural Renasissance Cairo. He has been involved for a number of years in TV and film production, as assistant director, cinematographer and producer. He has collaborated with Hala Elkoussy as assistant director in her two music videos, Fulan El Fulani (2012) and Al Masri (2013). Lotfy has directed a number of short films and has recently worked as assistant director on Ahmed Magdy's first feature film No One There and completed his first feature film (in post production), entitled Experimental Summer, to be released soon.
MENNA ELLAITHY
assistant director
Menna Ellaithy graduated from the American University in Cairo with a double major in Theatre and Media Arts and a minor in Music in 2012. She trained in Operatic singing for three years between Vienna and Bratislava. She has acted in the feature films: Family Disputes Hani Fawzi and Factory Girl by Mohamed Khan. She is a playback practitioner since 2011 and has started clowning and training as a clown doctor with the Troupe Red Tomato in 2014. She directed two plays for the stage: An Unfamiliar Waltz (Rawabet 2012) and Shining City 2011 (AUC). She has experience as a stage manager in The Library directed by Fanny de Chaille - DCAF (2015), Gasping directed by Dr. Leila Saad (Rawabet Theatre), 2012, Rituals of Signs and transformations directed by Effat Yehia, 2011. She is Co-founder of Zawya, art house cinema.
RANDA ABOU EL DAHAB
assistant director
تخرجت رندا أبو الدهب من كلية الأداب جامعة القاهرة عام ٢٠٠٠ ثم أكملت دراسات عليا في المجتمع المدني وحقوق الإنسان في كلية الاقتصاد والعلوم السياسية عام ٢٠٠٤. في عام ٢٠٠١ انخرطت رندا أبو الدهب في مجال حقوق الإنسان وبالأخص حقوق المرأة. في ٢٠٠٨ تخرجت أبو الدهب من مدرسة السينما المستقلة التابعة لجمعية النهضة للعلوم والنهضة الثقافية، الجيزويت. وفي خلال فترة دراستها أنتجت عددا من الأفلام القصيرة. بعد تخرجها عملت أبو الدهب كمنتج منفذ على عدد من البرامج الإخبارية وقادت العديد من ورش الكتابة والإخراج الموجهة للمراهقين. في ٢٠١٣ حصلت رندا أبو الدهب على منحة انتاج من مؤسسة المورد الثقافي لانتاج فيلم الوثائقي باترون والذي يتتبع تطور موضة أزياء السيدات في مصر من فترة العشرينات وحتى الحاضر. الفيلم يخط تطور الأزياء عبر تلك الفترة ويستخدمها في تقييم التغيرات السياسية والاقتصادية والاجتماعية التي واكبت وأثرت على ذلك التطور
After graduating from the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, in 2004, Randa Abo El Dahab completed postgraduate studies in civil society and human rights, in the Faculty of Economics and Political Science.
In 2001, Abo El Dahab got engaged in the field of human rights, specifically the rights of women. In 2008 she graduated from the Independent Film School in El-Nahda Association for Science and Cultural Renaissance, Cairo. During her study period there she produced a number of short films. Since then she worked as an executive producer for a number of news programs, while mentoring teenagers in script writing and directing in a number of workshops.
In 2013 Abo El Dahab won a production Award from Al Mawred Al Thaqafy for her documentary film “Pattern”, which traces the evolution of Egyptian women’s fashion from the 1920s to the present. The film reviews how clothing has changed during a relatively long period of time in an attempt to assess the political, economic and social changes that both accompanied and influenced those changes, and made those changes in fashion into an unwritten language recording the different developments in people’s life and history.
MOUSTAFA ABDEL HAMID
sound engineer
Moustafa Abdel Hamid is a professional sound recordist. After graduating from the High Institute for Cinema in Cairo, Abdel Hamid worked as an assistant sound engineer on several TV productions and feature films amongst which the Last Days of the City (to be released) by director Tamer El Saied Going Out by Day by Hala Lotfy; and as a sound engineer on several documentaries, short films and TV series including Shadows a feature documentary by Marianne Khoury and Moustafa El Hesnawy, prize winner in Dubai International Film Festival 2010. Abdel Hamid has collaborated with Hala Elkoussy on several projects.
ALIAA SALAH
art department
After graduating from the faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University with a degree in painting, Aliaa Salah has had several exhibitions. Her interest in graphic design has seen her take on several print design jobs and as a free lancer. She previously collaborated with Hala Elkoussy in the framework of an artist's workshop entitled: the use of the archive in artwork. She has also designed the first Fotomasr book entitled: Wedding Photographs from the Archive of Fotomasr.
MIDO SADEK
technical department
Mido Sadek is an expert in exhibition and performance planning with years of experience accumulated in Egypt's different galleries and cultural centres and abroad, collaborating with artists in executing and exhibiting their work, with a focus on audio visual projects. He also has experience working with independent theatre companies. Sadek has colloborated with Hala Elkoussy on several projects including the mounting of her installation, on red nails, palm trees and other icons, 2009 (now in the collection of Tate Modern) and the Myths and Legends Room, The Mural, 2010 (in the collection of Abraaj Capital Art Prize). Mido Sadek's thorough technical skills and problem solving abilities make him a key figure in the Cactus Flower team.