She confirmed that she gained more artistically than she could imagine and does not rule out a return to production

Elham Shaheen: I suffered heavy material losses ... and I am not sorry

• Elham Shaheen: The financial returns have never made me busy.

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Throughout her artistic career, actress Elham Shaheen has faced many challenges, until the adventure has become an integral part of her long career between the big screen, drama, theater and production. "Curfew", because of it, to win the best actress award at the recent Cairo Film Festival.

In her interview with Emirates Today, Elham Shaheen revealed the secret of her enthusiasm for the recent work, and how she accepted to address a thorny issue, confirming that the financial returns never occupied her, as she lost a lot of money in production, but she is not regretful, especially since those films that she financed achieved value. Considering that she is an artist, not a merchant, and that is why she measures success in this different way.

Strong comeback

The Egyptian star said about the reason for her absence for more than five years, that she presented about 100 films over the course of her cinematic career, and her presence was not occupied by work just to be present on the scene, adding, “I was looking for a very strong comeback with a very important topic, or at least that carries a cause that pleases me. As an artist, he offers something to society. From my point of view, art is a mirror, and it must help in raising issues and serving people and what touches them, so as soon as the director Amir Ramses offered me the idea of ​​a (curfew) film, I found myself very enthusiastic and attracted to the idea.

And she continued: “I found in family harassment a sensitive idea, but very thorny, and it had to be addressed in a technical way that does not shy society, and at the same time puts our hands on the wound objectively and professionally, and I put before my eyes as I said my artistic history and the size of the confidence and responsibility I have great on my shoulders. Toward my history, artistic conscience, and my republic, who respected my work.

Different personality

About her personality in the last work, and how she saw her different to everything that she presented, Elham Shaheen explained: “I have not presented a character in my artistic life over the course of 100 films like Faten, who has embodied her in a (curfew), and I liked her that she is a victim, a murderer, a human being, a criminal, and all that she carries. The characteristics are contradictory, as she kills her husband when she is in her prime and enters prison and leaves her daughter without anyone knowing the reason for killing her husband, and is exposed to severe societal injustice and denial of her daughter and the control of a state of hatred over her relationship with her daughter, and all of this is because there is harassment from the husband towards the child and the mother killed him To sacrifice her life and her freedom ».

She continued, “The role required a lot of psychological and formal preparation. She is an oppressed woman, a murderer, and she was conquered by imprisonment, her beauty and youth were lost, and all of this had to be reflected in her features, and the truth is that I gave up all aspects of femininity, beauty and luxury, and dived inside the imprisoned Faten with an exhausted old face without being I take into account anything but the amount of oppression and deprivation that this woman was subjected to, and praise be to God, director Amir Ramses helped me with the paper, the details and the preparations, until this character came out like that, and won everyone's admiration, as well as the whole film.

Poor season

Elham Shaheen confirmed that she does not pay attention to the expected revenues, especially since the last film was shown at the end of the year in a poor cinematic season, as well as in light of the Corona pandemic and the second wave: “I have never paid any attention to the idea of ​​money and revenues, and everyone knows this. I move as an artist and I am not a merchant or financier looking This is why all these accounts are out of my interests, so I do not fear revenue because it is no longer the measure of the quality of the film. There are films that generate revenues which are considered by many a trivial business.

What really matters to me is the real value of the film that succeeded in the last Cairo Film Festival, and received an award from it, won the admiration of people, sparked controversy, and many praised the impact, depth and message that reached the community.

She added about the screening of films under the control of the Corona virus and its impact on the cinematic movement: “Any film currently under the conditions of the pandemic does not have any guarantees of success, and every action (it is his luck), and everyone should try and (and he reprimanded him), as they say among the risks of procedures The precautionary decision or the sudden closure of theaters.

Elham Shaheen produced many important films such as “Fawzia Mixture” and “Day for Satat” and others, but she suffered financial losses that almost bankrupted her. Can she return to production?

A question answered by the artist, saying: “Despite the disasters I experienced in production and heavy material losses, I still love production, because I chose works of artistic value, and I did not consider materialistic works so I presented them with all my emotions, and I may have lost financially, but I gained more artistically than I can imagine. And money is not everything, so I am happy with the production experience even if I suffered financially only, and my return to production is subject to study and I do not exclude it and I study more than one work and I have scenarios for films, and I may produce but in order not to suffer a loss, all dimensions must be studied, and I can produce with Others ».

Expected attack

Was she afraid of criticism because of raising the issue of family harassment or parents' assault on their sons and daughters in her latest movie, "Curfew"?

A question answered by artist Ilham Shaheen, saying: “I know that the attack was expected, and that some will say that we are offensive to society, and we were aware that we were about to open the door to problems because this type of issue is very sensitive, and it may open doors of attack, controversy and rejection,” considering that “Egyptian and Arab society in general refuses to address such kinds of cases that it deems shameful, so they are silent about them, even though there are thousands of victims of such family crimes. That is why I decided to present this work and found the idea influential and profound and deserving of return. Nevertheless, we decided to present the case and throw a stone in it. Stagnant water, regardless of the results, thank God that the issue was dealt with very professionally ».

100

A movie in the credit of the Egyptian star.

The Egyptian star won the Best Actress Award at the Cairo International Film Festival for her role in the last film.

"I have never presented a character in my artistic life like Faten, which I embodied in my new movie (Curfew)."

"Any movie currently released under the circumstances of (Corona) does not have any guarantees of success, and every action (is his luck)."

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