Private Project

Mesteka & Rehan

Mesteka, a seventy-year old Moslem widow, and Rehan, a sixty-seven year old Christian widower, are neighbours. Their busy children hardly ever visit them now. Mesteka and Rehan get used to monotony, loneliness, and isolation and fashion their lives accordingly,until tragedy gives way to comedy.

  • Dina Abd Elsalam
    Director
  • Dina Abd Elsalam
    Writer
  • Dina Abd Elsalam & Ashraf Mahdy
    Producer
  • Aziza Fadel, Ali Darwish, Maged Abd Elrazek, Mohamed Fouad
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    مستكة وريحان
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    60 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 28, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    Egypt
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Official Selection at Women International Film Festival, Islamabad, Pakistan, 8-13 March 2022.
  • Averroes Award at International Festival of Cinema and Philosophy, Fes, Morocco, 7-11 October 2022
  • Best Foreign Feature Film, L-DUB Film Festival, Florida, USA, 2017
  • Special Mention at Aswan International Women Film Festival 20-26 February 2018
  • Semi-Finalist at ROFL Film Festival, Madrid 14-15 Sep 2018
  • Semi-Finalist at The Alternative Film Festival, Tornoto, Canada 18 Sep 2018
  • Semi-Finalist at Transparent Film Festival, New York (5-7 April 2019)
  • Official Competition at MoziMotion, Netherlands, October 2019
  • Official Selection at Malmo Arab Women Film Festival, Sweden (9-10 March 2019)
  • Official Competition at Mansfield International Film Festival, Texas, USA (7 March 2019)
  • Official Competition at Dadasaheb Phlake International Film Festival, Mumbai, India (20 February 2019)
  • Official Competition at Sharjah Film Platform, UAE (18 Jan-26 Jan 2019)
  • Official Competition at National Festival of Egyptian Cinema (29 Oct-4 Nov 2018)
  • Official Competition at Delhi International Film Festival, India (14-18 Oct 2018)
  • Official Competition at Lebanese Independent Film Festival, Beirut 12-14 July 2018
  • Official Competition at Darbhanga International film festival, Bihar, India 20-22 April 2018
  • Official Competition at First City Film Festival, Leavenworth Kansas March 22-25, 2018
  • Official Competition at Worldwide Women's Film Festival, Phoenix, Arizona, US 9-10 February 2018
Director Biography - Dina Abd Elsalam

Dina Abd Elsalam is an Egyptian indie filmmaker, who managed to make all her films in her hometown Alexandria with minimal budgets. Her works neatly belong to the auteur cinema, and they are also a perfect example of DIY, for most of the time, she is the producer, writer, director, editor, and distributor of her films. Rest in Peace 2014, Girls of a Feather 2016, and Mesteka and Rehan 2017, Cream of the Crop 2021 received critical acclaim and won numerous national and international awards. She has recently launched her feature film Cream of the Crop 2021 in her hometown Alexandria and the film is already an official selection in a number of festivals and has received several awards. She is also a writer with a novel and a collection of short stories to her name. She holds a Ph.D. in Critical Theory and currently works as an associate professor at the English Department, Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

With a tone of despair I asked myself the following questions: Why do I make films? What will I add to the film industry which already teems with big names, huge studios, and high production budgets? What is it that I can offer as an independent filmmaker with no financial resources and minimal prospects for distribution? I pondered for long and couldn’t find a “logical”, or “rational” answer, though logical and rational are human-made constructs after all. I found a sentimental one instead, which big minds would not like very much; I will sure look petty in their eyes. But I don’t really care anymore. My films might look unprofessional, or jittery at times, but if they ever managed to touch someone, move them, set them thinking, then I should go on making films. I really don’t care about the professional filmic look, high-quality cameras or expensive equipment. Why should I inflict self-torture on myself by comparing my films to high-budget ones? I have decided to shed aside all those inhibitions and insecurities. When in the margin, don’t distract yourself with things that are not meant for you, leave the mainstream for the mainstreamers, and embrace that peripheral space that allows you to express your sincere concern for humanity.