Cairo, Egypt – Artist Mohamed Ramadan expressed his strong displeasure at the incident in which three people from Upper Egypt were prevented from entering a cinema to watch his film “Asad” because they were wearing traditional Upper Egyptian clothing, stressing that what happened was an insult to everyone.
Broken minded
Mohamed Ramadan said, during a video he posted on his official accounts: “Three Upper Egyptians were going into the movie ‘Asad’ at the cinema and they were stopped because they were wearing Upper Egyptian galabiyas. One of them is the same age as my father. So, the one who stopped them, where is your heart and where is your mind? What is your origin? Is your mother Russian or your grandfather Turkish? I want to understand where you are from? How can you bear to see them go with their hearts broken?”
A letter to the Minister of Culture
Ramadan addressed a message to the Minister of Culture, demanding an official apology to the people of Upper Egypt, saying: “Your Excellency, Minister of Culture, I am not speaking to you as a citizen, I am speaking to you as a human being, not as the hero of the film in which the incident occurred. I ask you for an official apology to Upper Egypt. This is not an insult to them, this is an insult to all of us.”
He also commented on the video via his account, saying: “It’s an honor for me, for cinema, and for everyone involved in the film ‘Lion’ to have you in the film. If the ground doesn’t carry you, I’ll carry you on my head. I’m confident in the reaction of Her Excellency the Minister of Culture with her official apology to all the people of Upper Egypt. Cinema is for everyone, ma’am, and this is the most basic right of the people.”
Lion movie story
The film “Asad” tells the story of a slave with a rebellious spirit. The events unfold within a historical drama framework, following Asad’s journey, whose forbidden love for a free woman ignites a confrontation with his masters. As events escalate, the silent defiance transforms into a furious rebellion after Asad loses his most precious possession, leading him into a heroic struggle where survival is not guaranteed for anyone, in a battle that may determine his fate and the fate of slavery in the land.
The film’s heroes
The film stars Mohamed Ramadan, Razan Jamal, Ali Qassem, Kamel El Basha, Islam Mubarak, Iman Youssef, and Mustafa Shehata, with special appearances by Maged El Kedwany and Ahmed Malek.
