Two Hollywood stars, Tom Hanks and Daniel Craig, have sent letters of congratulation to director Mohammed Diab on the occasion of the long-awaited Egyptian release of film "Eshtibak" (Clash, 2016).
The two actors hailed the Egyptian film for “enlightening many audiences and changing the traditional image of Egypt”.
Diab said he received a signed letter from Tom Hanks saying, “Few Americans see Egypt as being anything more than terrorists and pyramids. Your film CLASH will go great lengths to enlighten many. Audiences will see that humanity is a fragile community, but we are all in ‘this’ together. And, we will all come to pray for Egypt, in any way we know how."
At the end of the message, Hanks thanked Diab for the “magnificent film”, saying the crew and cast are first-rate examples of their kind.
Diab photographed the letter and posted it on his official Faceebook account, saying he recieved a simillar message from Craig. The director said both messages contradict criticisms in the Egyptian media, accusing the film of defaming Egypt’s reputation.
The film has been slammed in the Egyptian media for allegedly misrepresenting the range of political opinions in the country and depicting Egypt in a bad light. Amany Al-Khiat, the presenter of the TV show “Ana Masr”, aired a report about Diab, describing him as an activist who was educated abroad and who is disloyal to Egypt.
Diab has expressed his anger at the range of set-backs that hampered the film's release in Egypt, factors some have described as mere coincidences, but which Diab suspects are deliberate in some cases.
"Some cinemas did not display the poster, and there was the withdrawl of the distributer a few days before the movie release in Egypt. All of these things were more than a coincidence. They were intentional," he said.
Diab said that preventing the film's distribution in Egypt would be a "scandal" because it was presented at the Cannes film festival and got a positive response.
“The film is not attacking anyone. It just depicts the hysteria and polarization in the country in a humane way, and that was the opinion of various cinema critics with a variety of political affiliations,” Diab said.
Eshtibak was selected to open the "Un Certain Regard" category at the Cannes Film Festival this year and received several good reviews in the international press.
The 98-minute film, written and directed by Diab, depicts the political turbulence and uncertainty after the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, particularly the conflict between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and those backing the military.
The film was set entirely in the back of a police van, into which both Brotherhood and military supporters had been thrown in the wake of demonstrations following the overthrown of Morsi in July 2013.
Diab said that the film was sold to 20 countries in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. It will be screened in around 200 theaters in France.
“But the most important success should be in Egypt and with the Egyptians whom the film is targeting,” Diab said.
