SHARAF

I was born as son of an Egyptian father and a German mother, so I have been living in
both cultures since my childhood. After graduating from the German High School in
Cairo I left Egypt to study in Germany, but my connection with the country stayed
strong. Living in Germany gave me the ability to perceive Egypt through a double perspective.
At one side I remained a part of Egyptian society and can relate to its people with
empathy. But on the other side I often have that feeling of an outsider who observes
things more analytic and rational. This double perspective allowed me to perceive things with distance and closeness at the same time.
This same dualism of closeness and distance I found in Sonallah Ibrahim’s novel
SHARAF. It thrilled me how the great Egyptian storyteller managed to condense the
frenzy of Egyptian society and linked it to the crisis of young people in a beautiful,
artistic manner. I instantly imagined it on the screen.
SHARAF brings together big extremes. It tells a gloomy story in a laconic, sometimes
funny and always entertaining manner. It paints a picture of a whole society and an
ongoing crisis while taking place in a very limited space. The main character is
fascinating in his contradiction between naivety and trickery, like a mixture between
Candide and Machiavelli.
He is a perfect example for a new lost generation in the Arab World. They grew up in
authoritarian political systems and are deeply influenced by fundamental religious
values. Yet they dream of freedom and Western lifestyle, as they know it through
internet and television.
SHARAF is a movie that makes comprehensible why many young men want to leave
their countries and risk their lives to come to Europe. This makes the film highly relevant for a Western audience an important cultural counteroffer. The pressure of migration and the accompanying populistic movements generated a stigmatizing and
discriminating cliché of „the Arab man“.
It is necessary to correct this image through a different, more balanced perspective. A
movie like SHARAF will help Western audiences to perceive Arab people with their
hopes, sorrows and anxieties. Relatable, engaging characters like SHARAF are
desperately needed to bring new aspects to the controversy of migration and
integration.
The Arab Spring was in the first place a movement of young people who fought for more freedom and a better future. Sadly the big aspirations couldn’t be fulfilled and the dream turned into a nightmare. The current situation is worse than before the revolution in almost every aspect. SHARAF deals with this harsh reality and examines the mighty,
corrupt power structures that are so resistent to change. Without destroying these
structures every coming revolution is doomed to fail.
Another important element in this film is that it links the events in the microcosm
„Egyptian prison“ to global developments. The character of Dr. Ramzy is the perfect
manifestation of how the countries of the region became a cue ball of multinational
companies in a globalized world.
It is also a loving description of Egyptian mentality and the ability of a nation to never
lose its humour, even in the darkest hours.
I was deeply involved in the events of the Egyptian revolution and spend a lot of time during these years in Egypt, where I did a lot of teaching to young Egyptian filmmakers in Cairo and Alexandria.
Through my friendship with writer Sonallah Ibrahim we took the time to develop the
screenplay for SHARAF together and we teamed his sense for details and his vast
knowledge of the life inside the prison with my idea of condensing this huge novel into a filmic structure.
I am convinced that the combination of my inner and outer perspective will enable me to direct the story of SHARF with passion and authenticity, but also with the needed
precision and restraint where it will be needed.
This film gives those a voice, who usually don’t have one. In an Arab world, in which
freedom is under attack and basic human rights are neglected, the movie SHARAF is a
brave and necessary statement.

Samir Nasr