The Yacoubian Building
This big-budget, epic adaptation of Alaa Al Aswany's bestseller is an absorbing, beautiful film that delves into the nitty-gritty of modern Egyptian life.
"A revealing window into the secular world of a modern Islamic society." The Hollywood Reporter
"Timely, thought-provoking and entertaining... unmissable." London Film Festival
This epic adaptation of Alaa Al Aswany's bestseller is an absorbing, beautiful film that delves into the nitty-gritty of modern Egyptian life, including corruption, forbidden love, fundamentalism and the hitherto taboo subject of homosexuality. It contains multiple stories involving the residents of the famous Yacoubian building, situated in downtown Cairo, from the well-to-do tenants of the luxurious apartments through to the poor families living in its rooftop laundry rooms. The film moves at an elegant pace, blending love and politics with family and religion, while never losing track of the subtle connection between the current state of the country and the decaying gentility of a once elegant building. It's the most expensive Egyptian film ever made and the big budget shows: there's a starry cast, a majestic score and and some wonderful, grand cinematography.
Dir Marwan Hamed, Egypt 2005, 172 mins
The DVD is available now to buy at our bookshop and all good retailers. To win a copy and a theatrical poster just answer this simple question:
The Yacoubian Building is found in which Egyptain city?
Send entries to: competitions@ica.org.uk
Competition closes 30 April 2008
Free the Word! A celebration of world literature 11 - 13 April
International PEN presents its first festival of literature at venues along London's South Bank featuring Salman Rushdie, Alaa Al Aswany, Alexis Wright, Alberto Manguel, Francisco Goldman and many more...
For further information please visit International PEN