Ramy and the Strawberry Statement

As the 6th of April 2009 is coming , I though of sharing with you some old post I forgot to post it in the right time in 2008, anyhow it is never too late.Already I believe it is possible to see that film shown on Nile Film channel next month.

The Egyptian cinema as a mirror of the society or as it is believed covered in 2008 the 6th of April Youth and their online activism and I wish it did not , at least for the time being.

In November 2008 Image for production released “Ramy El-El-Atasamy”  in the Egyptian cinema as a political social comic film.

The film plot is simply in order to impress the girl of his dreams in college , Ramy ; the high middle class good for nothing loser decides to lead a strike in order to change our national anthem because he can’t play it well on his guitar !! He would call for this strike through the facebook !! His strike will be the talk of the town and he will be featured in the TV and press.

In brief the film mocked from the 6th of April youth and their online peaceful activism

When the film was announced somehow people believed that it could be serious because Ahmed Eid , the hero of the film was known for choosing political films like “Film Thakafy” and “The night Baghdad fell” but it turned out it was another regime commercial film.Some people even went saying that it was a special tailored regime film. Good boys and girls do not call for strike !!!

I remember reading interviews for Ahmed Eid saying if the film did not hint to the 6th April youth or their serious strike with all respect to them because the censorship would ban it and how the censorship granted the script its approval on the 4th of April 2009 !! Yes 4th of April !! I do not believe him easily because before the 6th of April the facebook activism was not that known in the Egyptian society.

The problem is that the film did not hint to the 6th April youth but mocked them directly . It is not wrong to make comedies that do not reflect the current political scene in the country on the contrary it is a normal thing because people in the end want to escape from the bitter reality to a comical fantasy . It is wrong and unacceptable to mock serious and honest political young movements like the 6th of April in that way.

The only thing I like about that silly film is how they made Ahmed Ratab look like Ahmed Nazif.

Here is the film’s trailer

Ramy El-Atasamy official trailer

To tell you the truth before releasing the film I read a spoiler for the film saying that a university student will become an activist and call for a strike to impress his girlfriend  and I felt that the film was stolen from the Strawberry statement “1970”  but it was not , I was shocked and sad when I saw the trailer. It was the opposite from Strawberry statement ,it was a bitter statement.

Again I do not have anything against comedies on the contrary I love them but to mock a very important political force in your country in this silly way ,it is too much. Still the 6th of April youth were called all kind of names you would imagine in the regime media because they want a better future for the country !!! This film shows how they managed to do something , to stir this stagnant water !!

I believe if there is a real democratic change in this country , Ahmed Eid will come and say how he was forced to make that film !!

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