Princeton Weekly Bulletin April 27, 1998
Stars of Middle Eastern film to appear at Princeton for screening, discussion
Three of Four Women of Egypt
The director and three of the women featured in the award-winning documentary Four Women of Egypt will appear at Princeton on April 29 as part of the American debut of a tale of friendship that thrives amid political change. The screening will be at 4:00 p.m. in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, with a discussion following the film.
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Tahani Rached, the Egyptian-born director who now lives in Canada, will appear with Amina Rachid, Shahenda Maklad (shown, left) and Wedad Mitry, three of the women profiled in the film, which unfolds against the backdrop of political and social change in Egypt that began with the rise to power of Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1950s.
The four women differ greatly. Rachid, a university professor, is a non-practicing Muslim and political leftist who lived in Paris for years. Maklad is an advocate for peasants' rights whose husband was assassinated. Mitry, a retired teacher, is a trade unionist and women's suffragist. And Safynaz Kazem, the fourth star, is a theater critic who advocates strict adherence to Islamic law, including the wearing of the veil. But the women have one thing in common: They are strong believers in social justice.
Friendship and tolerance
"This is a film about friendship and tolerance," said Khaled Fahmy, assistant professor of Near Eastern Studies, who is organizing the group's visit to the United States. "In spite of all their differences, these women are able to maintain a high level of friendship."
Fahmy, who knows the women in the film, first saw Four Women in Egypt. He felt that the film would appeal to Western audiences and help break stereotypes that Westerners may have about Muslims, especially women who adhere strictly to Islam's rules. "The film challenges conceptions about Arab women on more than one level. It is very sophisticated and subtle," Fahmy said.
Four Women has already won the Public's Prize and the award for best documentary at the Portugal Film Festival. The Princeton screening is part of a three-stop tour of the East Coast sponsored by groups at Princeton and New York University, joint owners of a collection of films on Middle Eastern culture based at NYU, and by Columbia and Georgetown universities and the American Research Center in Egypt. It will also be shown on April 27 at NYU and May 1 at Georgetown.