The film tells the story of a Soviet military translator sent on a mission to Egypt in the early 1970s. During his stay in Egypt, the Yom Kippur War began, in which the USSR acted as an ally of the Arab states. The hero of the film recalls how Soviet students and orientalists were fascinated by Egyptian cinema, how he lived in an officer's dormitory, and how he saw Egypt for the first time. A few decades later, he returns as a tourist to the country he loves so much - he wanders through familiar streets, meets old friends, communicates with people and re-immerses himself in the culture of Egypt, to which he devoted most of his life.
The premiere screening of the film “The Return” was attended by the head of the Egyptian public information service, Dia Rashwan, the Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Khaled Imara, the official representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Abu Zeid, and the Russian Ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko.
The event was also attended by representatives of the media, including Al-Ahram, Youm7 and Al-Dostour publications, Sada El Balad, Ten TV, MESAT and Al-Ghad TV channels, and the Middle East News Agency.
“I want to note the role of the media, especially television channels. Since its inception, Russia Today has played a very important role, long before the latest events in Europe and the Middle East. During the COVID-19 pandemic, at a very difficult time for the whole world, this channel played a huge role by conveying important information to viewers, as well as showing various documentaries. Thank you very much,” said Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs Khaled Imara in his welcoming speech.
“Our soldiers fought together for Egyptian sovereignty during the so-called war of attrition. The victory on October 6, 1973 was won by the Egyptians using Soviet weapons. The film is largely dedicated to this page of joint history. Over the past 10 years, Russian-Egyptian relations have experienced a new powerful rise. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi brought the countries’ relations to a new level of strategic partnership,” said Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko.
“The RT Arabic team is in constant contact with representatives of major Egyptian media, and as part of this visit we agreed on cooperation with Sada El Balad and Radio Misr. We are confident that our interaction will be fruitful: RT Arabic is ready to share its achievements in the use of the latest technologies in the newsroom and online, and our Egyptian colleagues will help our channel expand its audience in the largest country in the Arab world,” said the head of RT Arabic, Maya Manna.
The film “The Return” will be shown on RT Arabic and Egyptian TV channels TeN TV and Sada El Balad.
The RT Arabic television channel is part of the international television network RT. RT is news channels in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German and the documentary channel RTD in Russian and English. The network also includes online portals in seven languages, including Serbian and Russian, and the global multimedia agency RUPTLY, which offers exclusive content to TV channels around the world. RT is present in Chinese on popular Chinese social networks, as well as on social networks in Hindi. RT is an 11-time finalist of the prestigious international Emmy award.