Luxor African Film Festival honors Gamil Ratib, Ghada Adel, Moussa Touré

Gamil Rateb (AFP)

Ghada Adel (Instagram)

DUBAI: The seventh edition of the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) kicked off on Friday and runs until March 22. This year, the festival is paying tribute to Egyptian actors Gamil Ratib and Ghada Adel and Senegalese director Moussa Touré.
LAFF was conceived by screenwriter Sayed Fouad as an alternative to the numerous cultural events inevitably centered around Alexandria and Cairo. Fouad also wanted an event that focused on African filmmaking, as he felt it was under-represented in Egypt. This year’s festival focuses on films from Rwanda.
Gamil Ratib, 91, is an icon of cinema and theater. Internationally, he is best known for his performance as Majid in the acclaimed 1962 movie “Lawrence of Arabia,” opposite Peter O’Toole, but he has appeared in over 50 feature films in his long career. Ratib received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Dubai International Film Festival in 2011.
Over the past two decades, Moussa Touré has established himself as one of Senegal’s most successful directors, renowned for his gritty take on the everyday life and culture of Africa. The 50-year-old has worked his way up through the ranks, starting out in the industry as an electrician but going on to work with some of the world’s most illustrious filmmakers, including Francois Truffaut.
Award-winning actress Ghada Adel, 43, has — like Ratib — impressed on stage and screen and in a variety of roles ranging from comedy to drama.
LAFF’s opening night also featured a tribute to the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, who is widely credited with launching Omar Sharif’s career, from Lebanese singer and actress Majida El Roumi, whom Chahine directed in his 1976 movie "Awdat Al Ibn Al Dal." . Chahine achieved both commercial and critical success during his distinguished career, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Cannes Film Festival in 1997.