"The Mice Room" is an independent collaborative feature made by 6 filmmakers; Ahmed Magdy Morsy, Hend Bakr, Mayye Zayed, Mohamad El-Hadidi, Mohamed Zedan and Nermeen Salem in Alexandria, Egypt. It is produced by Rufy's Films including the 6 filmmakers and co-produced by Fig Leaf Studios and Enjaaz (a Dubai film market initiative).
The film was written as 7 segments at the beginning then shot as 6 separate segments then came all together in the editing room in post-production. Since it was an almost zero budget film, all cast and crew were volunteers and many of them were the filmmakers' friends. The 6 filmmakers themselves worked as 1st ADs, 2nd ADs, DOPs, ... etc in each other's segments. This blog is an attempt to document this "dream" as it has been following the filmmakers in their journey making this film since its start as an idea in May 2010. It is an attempt to document all the big events and little details, all the failures and successes, all the ups and downs.
The film was written as 7 segments at the beginning then shot as 6 separate segments then came all together in the editing room in post-production. Since it was an almost zero budget film, all cast and crew were volunteers and many of them were the filmmakers' friends. The 6 filmmakers themselves worked as 1st ADs, 2nd ADs, DOPs, ... etc in each other's segments. This blog is an attempt to document this "dream" as it has been following the filmmakers in their journey making this film since its start as an idea in May 2010. It is an attempt to document all the big events and little details, all the failures and successes, all the ups and downs.
Log-line
Alexandria is a city of ghosts.. You can always feel these souls at unrest and all these untold stories.
Synopsis
Six different characters roaming in Alexandria along with their fears. Amr comes back to meet his father in his death bed, not sure how he can speak up and show his true feelings. Moussa spends his day afraid of crossing a street until he finds amends with his side of the road. Dahlia, on her wedding day, seems lost in worries about her off white marriage. The young girl discovers her grandmother's decay through her play time. After her husband's death, Rawya starts a habit of sleeping late, however, discovers a new exciting life at night. Maha, packing for leaving the country, starts questioning the change that happened or might happen in her life. They share the same creepy feelings in the same city but never meet.
Filmmakers
Ahmed Magdy Morsy A freelance filmmaker and editor who graduated from Faculty of Law from Alexandria University in 2010. He attended quite a number of filmmaking workshops. He worked as a trainee assistant director in “Hawi”; a feature film made by Ibrahim El Batout in 2011. He also supervised the editing classes in the AMIDEAST's filmmaking workshop and worked in several short and documentary films.
Hend Bakr A poet and a short story writer who has studied Arabic in the Faculty of Islamic and Arab Studies and graduated from El Azhar University in 2003. She has worked as a curator and a coordinator of culture activities "ACML Egypt" cultural office. She organized a workshop for a group of students between 15 and 17 years that resulted in the documentary short film "Out Of Focus" that was produced by the American Cultural Center and was shown in Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival in 2011. She also attended a documentary workshop at Alexandria Arts Centre with Brigid Maher; An Assistant Professor in School of Communication in SOC’s Film and Media Arts Division. She participated in the Biennale of Europe and the Mediterranean (BJCEM) in Roma 2011 and she published many of her stories, articles and prose in several newspapers and periodicals such as her articles "Not Only But Also in the 10th edition of Min Wa Illa magazine and "Tuesday Talk" in Amkenah magazine.
Mayye Zayed A freelance DOP, camera person, video artist and editor. She studied Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering in Alexandria University. She was granted a Fulbright scholarship to study cinema and media studies in Wellesley College in USA in 2011/2012 which also enabled her to take the comparative media class Innovations in Documentary in MIT. She was also a part of the crew in "Hawi" a feature film made by Ibrahim El Batout in Egypt 2011. She was the DOP in "Veve" a feature film produced by ONE FINE DAY FILMS and GINGER INK in Kenya 2013.
Mohamad El Hadidi A freelance photographer and videographer. He participated in many photography exhibitions and got many prizes (Google Photography Prize, European Union Prize and Egypt Photo Marathon First Prize). He graduated from the Jesuits filmmaking workshop 2009/2010. He was the cameraman and the 3rd AD in “Hawi”; the Egyptian feature film made by Ibrahim el Batout in 2011. He worked as the 1st AD and a DOP in many Egyptian documentaries and short films. His short film "Alban Wady El-Neel" was awarded the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Plaza grant for short films for 2012 and the best short film award in 9ème rencontres de l'image Film Festival in the French Institute in Cairo, Egypt in 2013.
Mohamed Zedan An independent filmmaker and assistant director. He graduated from the faculty of Law, Alexandria University. He was part of the crew in "Hawi" feature film for Egyptian director Ibrahim El Batout in 2010. He worked as a camera assistant in "Microphone", a feature film made by Ahmed Abduallah in 2011. He also worked as a cameraman, a 1st and 2nd AD in several short films in Alexandria. He gave a 3-month workshop about Film History with KELMA group in the French Institute in Alexandria 2011. He joined the videoart workshop of MASS Alexandria for contemporary art in 2013.
Nermeen Salem A teacher of English who graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University. She had a Fulbright scholarship in the University of Saint Thomas in USA to study religion and politics in 2010/2011. Her love for filmmaking and activities made her participate in several theatrical activities and workshops. She was part of the crew in "Hawi" feature film for Egyptian director Ibrahim El Batout. She was part of a collaborative independent film in USA. She also attended a documentary workshop at Alexandria Arts Centre with Brigid Maher; An Assistant Professor in School of Communication in SOC’s Film and Media Arts Division.
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