Cactus Flower
Fall Grant 2015 - Production Stage
Synopsis
Aida, a struggling actress, came to Cairo from the Delta as a university student; like many others, she stayed on in the city. One night, she and her neighbour Samiha, a fading bourgeois beauty, are kicked out on the street. With no money and nowhere to go, the two women, aided by Yassin, a street-savvy youth, embark on a labyrinthine journey across physically and mentally difficult terrain. Amid the funny and at times disastrous turns their journey takes, they move along parallel journeys of self-discovery. An extraordinary friendship grows among the unlikely trio, like a delicate flower blooming from a thorny cactus.
Credits
- Director
- Hala Elkoussy
- Screenwriter
- Hala Elkoussy
- Producer
- Houssam Elouan
- Production Company
- Transit Films
- Production Company
- Transit Films
About the Director
Hala Elkoussy is a visual artist who works across a variety of media, including photography, video, installation, and sculpture. Elkoussy has produced several short films that were screened in exhibitions and film festivals around the world. Her artwork features in the collections of Tate Modern and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, among others. 'Cactus Flower', her first feature film, premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. It received the Best Actress Award at the Dubai International Film Festival and Special Jury Award at Aswan International Women’s Film Festival. In 2020 she won De Verbeelding Grant in the Netherlands to realize 'East of Noon'.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
Rotterdam International Film Festival 2017, Bright Future Award Competition (WP)
MOOOV Film Festival 2017, Discovery
Contacts
-
Director
Hala Elkoussy
- Phone:
- +201279520780
- Email:
- elkoussyhala@hotmail.com
-
Main Contact
Hossam Elouan
- Company:
- Transit Films International
- Phone:
- +201060528732
- Email:
- hossamelouan@gmail.com