“Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Qur’an” (“Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran,” France, 2013, original language version with Spanish subtitles, 94 min.) Fiction

In a marginal, multi-racial neighborhood in Paris, a Jewish teenager and an elderly Muslim become friends. Momo (Pierre Boulanger) lives with his father, a man in deep depression. His only girlfriends are street prostitutes, who treat him very affectionately. Momo goes grocery shopping at the small, dark shop owned by Monsieur Ibrahim (Omar Sharif), a quiet Muslim who observes everything and knows more than it seems. When Momo’s father abandons him, Ibrahim becomes his protector. Together they set off on a journey that will change their lives forever.

Cast: Omar Sharif, Pierre Boulanger, Gilbert Melki, Isabelle Renault.

Awards: Festival of Venice, 2003, People’s Choice Award for Best Actor given to Omar Sharif; César Award of 2004 for Best Actor awarded to Omar Sharif.

“Beginning and End” (“Bidaya wa Nihaya”) by Salah Abu Seif (Egypt, 1960, original language version with Spanish subtitles, 130 minutes).

After the death of their father, a modest family made up of three brothers and one sister goes through hard times. One of the brothers drops out of school to start working, another manages to get into the Police Academy, and the third just gets into trouble. The girl, who secretly becomes a prostitute, is arrested in a raid, and the brother who has become a policeman finds out. She ends up committing suicide because of her brother’s pressure, and he then kills himself out of guilt. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Egypt’s Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz.

Cast: Omar Sharif, Farid Shawqi, Amina Rizk, Sanaa Gamil, Salah Mansour.

Awards: Second International Film Festival of Moscow, 1961.

“Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Qur’an” (“Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran,” France, 2013, original language version with Spanish subtitles, 94 min.) Fiction

In a marginal, multi-racial neighborhood in Paris, a Jewish teenager and an elderly Muslim become friends. Momo (Pierre Boulanger) lives with his father, a man in deep depression. His only girlfriends are street prostitutes, who treat him very affectionately. Momo goes grocery shopping at the small, dark shop owned by Monsieur Ibrahim (Omar Sharif), a quiet Muslim who observes everything and knows more than it seems. When Momo’s father abandons him, Ibrahim becomes his protector. Together they set off on a journey that will change their lives forever.

Cast: Omar Sharif, Pierre Boulanger, Gilbert Melki, Isabelle Renault.

Awards: Festival of Venice, 2003, People’s Choice Award for Best Actor given to Omar Sharif; César Award of 2004 for Best Actor awarded to Omar Sharif.

After her parents get a divorce, Nadia, a girl from an upper-class family, goes to live with her father. Over time, a strong, obsessive relationship forms between them, which then breaks down after her father weds Safia. Nadia, jealous of this woman, attempts to split her and her father up in any way possible, accusing Safia of infidelity with her young uncle. A melodrama about Egypt’s high society in the 1950’s.

Cast: Faten Hamama, Omar Sharif, Yehia Chahine, Mariam Fakhr El-Din, Imad Hamdi, Hind Rustum, Rushdi Abaza.

Shown with the cooperation of Rotana.

A family meets at their home for three days after their father’s death to share their memories and mourn his loss, in accordance with Muslim tradition. They have left behind the beach and changed their swimsuits for djellabas as a sign of mourning.  Sofia, the eldest daughter, has made a life for herself in New York but returns after years of absence. Her return provides an opportunity to deal with some unhealed wounds with her sisters, because the order which had been maintained by the family patriarch was broken.

Cast: Hiam Abbass, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal, Morjana Alaoui, Omar Sharif.
Official selection at the International Film Festival of Toronto.

Film subtitled by the Women for Africa Foundation.

After her parents get a divorce, Nadia, a girl from an upper-class family, goes to live with her father. Over time, a strong, obsessive relationship forms between them, which then breaks down after her father weds Safia. Nadia, jealous of this woman, attempts to split her and her father up in any way possible, accusing Safia of infidelity with her young uncle. A melodrama about Egypt’s high society in the 1950’s.

Cast: Faten Hamama, Omar Sharif, Yehia Chahine, Mariam Fakhr El-Din, Imad Hamdi, Hind Rustum, Rushdi Abaza.

Shown with the cooperation of Rotana.

During World War I, T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), a controversial, enigmatic British officer, is sent to the desert to take part in a campaign to support the Arabs against Turkey. He and his friend Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) put their heart and soul into the mission. The natives adore Lawrence because he has demonstrated that he loves the desert and the Arab people greatly. However, his British superiors believe he has gone mad. Although Lawrence’s plans are crowned with success, his dreams of an independent Arabia end up failing.

Cast: Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, José Ferrer, Donal Wolfit, I.S. Johar, Gamil
Ratib, Michel Ray, John Dimench, Zia Mohyeddin, Howard Marion-Crawford, Jack Gwillim, Fernando Sancho, Hugh Miller, Jack Hedley.

Awards: 7 Oscar Awards (including Best Film, Best Director, Photography and Music);
4 Golden Globes, 4 BAFTA Awards, the National Board of Review Award and 2 David de Donatello Awards.

Ibrahim Hamdy, in his fight with the resistance against colonialism, takes part in the Prime Minster’s assassination and hides at a university colleague’s home to avoid being arrested. The situation is very awkward for the family that takes him in. In the end, he manages to escape with the help of those collaborating with him in the resistance.

Cast: Omar Sharif, Rushdy Abaza, Faten Hamama, Hussein Riad, Zubaida Tharwat, Hassan Youssef.

“Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Qur’an” (“Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran,” France, 2013, original language version with Spanish subtitles, 94 min.) Fiction

In a marginal, multi-racial neighborhood in Paris, a Jewish teenager and an elderly Muslim become friends. Momo (Pierre Boulanger) lives with his father, a man in deep depression. His only girlfriends are street prostitutes, who treat him very affectionately. Momo goes grocery shopping at the small, dark shop owned by Monsieur Ibrahim (Omar Sharif), a quiet Muslim who observes everything and knows more than it seems. When Momo’s father abandons him, Ibrahim becomes his protector. Together they set off on a journey that will change their lives forever.

Cast: Omar Sharif, Pierre Boulanger, Gilbert Melki, Isabelle Renault.

Awards: Festival of Venice, 2003, People’s Choice Award for Best Actor given to Omar Sharif; César Award of 2004 for Best Actor awarded to Omar Sharif.

A family meets at their home for three days after their father’s death to share their memories and mourn his loss, in accordance with Muslim tradition. They have left behind the beach and changed their swimsuits for djellabas as a sign of mourning.  Sofia, the eldest daughter, has made a life for herself in New York but returns after years of absence. Her return provides an opportunity to deal with some unhealed wounds with her sisters, because the order which had been maintained by the family patriarch was broken.

Cast: Hiam Abbass, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal, Morjana Alaoui, Omar Sharif.
Official selection at the International Film Festival of Toronto.

Film subtitled by the Women for Africa Foundation.

After her parents get a divorce, Nadia, a girl from an upper-class family, goes to live with her father. Over time, a strong, obsessive relationship forms between them, which then breaks down after her father weds Safia. Nadia, jealous of this woman, attempts to split her and her father up in any way possible, accusing Safia of infidelity with her young uncle. A melodrama about Egypt’s high society in the 1950’s.

Cast: Faten Hamama, Omar Sharif, Yehia Chahine, Mariam Fakhr El-Din, Imad Hamdi, Hind Rustum, Rushdi Abaza.

Shown with the cooperation of Rotana.

A family meets at their home for three days after their father’s death to share their memories and mourn his loss, in accordance with Muslim tradition. They have left behind the beach and changed their swimsuits for djellabas as a sign of mourning.  Sofia, the eldest daughter, has made a life for herself in New York but returns after years of absence. Her return provides an opportunity to deal with some unhealed wounds with her sisters, because the order which had been maintained by the family patriarch was broken.

Cast: Hiam Abbass, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal, Morjana Alaoui, Omar Sharif.
Official selection at the International Film Festival of Toronto.

Film subtitled by the Women for Africa Foundation.

During World War I, T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), a controversial, enigmatic British officer, is sent to the desert to take part in a campaign to support the Arabs against Turkey. He and his friend Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) put their heart and soul into the mission. The natives adore Lawrence because he has demonstrated that he loves the desert and the Arab people greatly. However, his British superiors believe he has gone mad. Although Lawrence’s plans are crowned with success, his dreams of an independent Arabia end up failing.

Cast: Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, José Ferrer, Donal Wolfit, I.S. Johar, Gamil
Ratib, Michel Ray, John Dimench, Zia Mohyeddin, Howard Marion-Crawford, Jack Gwillim, Fernando Sancho, Hugh Miller, Jack Hedley.

Awards: 7 Oscar Awards (including Best Film, Best Director, Photography and Music);
4 Golden Globes, 4 BAFTA Awards, the National Board of Review Award and 2 David de Donatello Awards.