Highlights: “My film is mostly about uncertainty,” says Sherif El Bendary. The Egyptian director is a regular at the largest international short film festival in Clermont-Ferrand. This year, he is presenting the world premiere of “Better than Earth” A story around the taboo of homosexuality in Egypt, produced with great finesse, thanks to fine-tuned dialogues and a veritable ballet of exchanged glances. The film is based on a personal story that I wrote and directed. Do you know when I will show the film in Egypt? I don't know when.

“My film is mostly about uncertainty,” says Sherif El Bendary. The Egyptian director is a regular at the largest international short film festival in Clermont-Ferrand. This year there…

Interview

Homosexuality in Egypt and the drama of taboo in “Better than Earth” at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival

“

My film is mostly about uncertainty

,” says Sherif El Bendary. The Egyptian director is a regular at the largest international short film festival in Clermont-Ferrand. This year, he is presenting the world premiere of “

Better than Earth

”. A story around the taboo of homosexuality in Egypt, produced with great finesse, thanks to fine-tuned dialogues and a veritable ballet of exchanged glances. Interview with a filmmaker who is necessarily courageous to shoot such a film in Cairo.

Sherif El Bendary, Egyptian director of “Better than Earth”, presented in its world premiere at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. © Siegfried Forster / RFI

By: Siegfried Forster Follow

RFI

: At the start of

Better Than Earth

,

a
couple kisses in a car. Why does this kiss open the film

?

Sherif El Bendary

The scene takes place on February 14, Valentine's Day. Radwa, a young student, has a date with her boyfriend. It was very important for me to signify his sexual orientation. From the start, it's clear that she likes men.

Beyond the main role, there is a very important character for the story, Mrs. Magda. The head matron of this university hostel for girls in Cairo even gives her instructions over the loudspeaker. She is omnipresent and the symbol of law and order in Egyptian society.

Yes, Ms. Magda represents government, control, power.

Also read: “The ghosts of colonialism in Kenya”, “Grogan's Lodge” at the 2024 Clermont-Ferrand Festival

Radwa is a very happy, loving and kind girl. At the same time, she complains about the strange behavior of her roommate, Sarah. Radwa feels harassed and we quickly sense that there will be drama. However, you absolutely wanted to make Radwa look guilty. For what

It was very important for me to look for an actress with some sort of guilty head for this role. The viewer must feel his sense of guilt at the end of the film. It was very important to have an actress capable of expressing this feeling of being guilty. She must convey to us the feeling that perhaps things happened between her and Sarah that we are not aware of. That maybe there was more than this harassment complaint against his roommate Sarah.

Scene from “Better than Earth”, film directed by Sherif El Bendary. © Africa Films

In this hostel for students, the public order imposed on society is called into question by two things: first by Radwa's love affair with her friend, but above all by the strange behavior of her roommate Sarah, considered like a lesbian since we found a rainbow t-shirt, the symbol of the LGBT community, in her wardrobe. Can these themes be discussed openly in Egypt

First, we can't really say that Sarah is gay. Nothing proves it. Nothing happened. She just has a t-shirt. And having a t-shirt doesn't mean anything. My film is mainly about uncertainty. There is uncertainty at different levels. It is not easy to discuss such topics in Egypt. It's a taboo. We cannot talk openly and frankly about these kinds of subjects in Egypt. With the script, I found a way to tell this story without directly addressing this very sensitive and dangerous subject. It was essential for me to find a subtle way to tell this story. And once I found it, I made the film.

Also read “Let’s go back”, to Algeria or France, questions Franco-Algerian filmmaker Nasser Bessalah at the 2024 Clermont-Ferrand Festival

Roommate Sarah is the second main character in the film, despite the fact that she never appears in the picture. At the same time, in the credits, you dedicated this fictional film “

to Sarah

”. Did Sarah really exist

?

Yes.

So you wrote and directed this film based on a personal story

Yes, the film is inspired by true events, even if it is not based on true events.

When will you screen the film in Egypt

I don't know when I will show the film in Egypt, but I hope I will show it in my country.

Do you have any doubts that it could be shown there

Yes, I highly doubt that it will be shown in Egypt, because it is a subject that is not easy for society and for the film licensing office to accept.

The film was shot in Egypt, edited in France, and the sound was produced in Sweden. Is there a particular reason for this international approach to your film production

It came like that. My producer is in France, I shot in Egypt, but I was afraid to continue with post-production in Egypt. I took all the material and did the editing in France and the sound in Sweden. It wasn't planned, but it happened.

►

Better than Earth
, by Sherif El Bendary, presented as a world premiere as part of Regards d'Afrique at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, until February 10, 2024.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your inbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Continue reading on the same themes:

Movie theater
Egypt
Social issues
Culture
Culture Africa
our selection

Homosexuality in Egypt and the drama of taboo in “Better than Earth” at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival

Homosexuality in Egypt and the drama of taboo in “Better than Earth” at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest