It’s no news that the film industry is one of the most important industries worldwide. It is the most popular form of art nowadays and ultimately the most effective one too. From the public’s point of view, it is the cultural contribution of the film that matters the most, as it reflects the social, economic and cultural phenomena in modern societies.
“Watching films is one of the world’s most popular leisure activities. Interest in film correlates with a higher than average interest in other arts and entertainments and with an active interest in the world. When asked about its artistic value, people place film on a par with literature and classical music.” – Ipsos Media CT, July 2011
Films can be a good way of making people reflect on difficult or sensitive issues, usually by initially triggering a strong emotional reaction. A clear majority believe films are a great way of learning about people from different backgrounds, and while each country uses cinema to either raise its population’s cultural standards or export a favourable image, Egypt seems to hold completely different thoughts….
As we may have all noticed, cinema is usually a huge factor of Eid rituals in Egypt. People rush to cinemas to watch the latest movies as a way of entertainment and may be to temporarily escape reality and have fun with family and friends. With time, film makers began to realize that no matter what they do, there will always be people who want to watch their movies regardless, especially during Eid. In fact, the numbers of audience may have even increased by adding few sexual elements to spice up completely pointless movies.This ultimately led to the gradual decline in the quality of film making and encouraged producers to allocate smaller budgets.
“The film industry has entered a period of decline and the appropriate response to this has become a matter of some debate. Two main factors are at the root of the current crisis in cinema; a decline in cinema audiences and a decline in production.” – John Hill
The film industry always seems to be related to the type of demand; the producers predict what the audience may want to see on the big screen and deliver it to them. Without any ethical codes controlling this, the range can be very wide. I remember going to the cinema to watch “The Expendables” a few years back; I was super excited as the movie was starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and many other action stars. Despite that, the cinema wasn’t crowded and I managed to easily find a good seat. At the window next to me, people were killing each other over tickets for a movie I never heard of, called “The Bar Girls (Banat El Bar)”. The movie poster didn’t have a single familiar face; just five belly dancers exposing it all. The cinema was fully booked for 3 consecutive show times; it was only 6 pm and people were already trying to find seats for the midnight show.
Unfortunately, this is a loop. Many film makers in Egypt lack both ethics and talent; they create low budget movies depicting women as sex objects, exporting the idea locally and internationally that Egyptian women are cheap. The idea of demeaning women reflects on the culture of the lower classes whose only window to art and culture is these movies; they will not go watch “My Name is Khan” or “The Gladiator”. They will go watch “Banat El Bar” and “Share3’ El Haram” and think that this is the only world out there. They will model the looks and behaviours of the actors using women as mere tools to satisfy their sexual desires. They will look up to thugs and grow up to be harassing kids, then rapist men. They will be those who beat up their women and physically and verbally abuse them. They will be those who think that there is no need for work or education, that being a thug is an ultimate dream. If we do not fight this phenomenon with all means possible, our society will be suffering the consequences sooner than we think.
