Ibrahim El Batout

Ibrahim El Batout is an Egyptian filmmaker, based in Cairo, Egypt. Born in Port Said on the 20th of September, 1963. He has worked as a director, producer and cameraman capturing stories mainly about human loss, suffering, and displacement since 1987. He has directed numerous documentaries for international TV channels, such as ZDF, TBS, and ARTE. His documentary work has been honored by the Rory Peck Trust (2003), and has received the Axel Springer Award in Germany (1994 and 2000). As well as that his drama "Ein Shams" took home the Golden Bull, the top prize at the 54th Taormina Film Festival, 2008.

Ein Shams (The Eye of the Sun)

* Script Tamer El Said and Ibrahim El Batout
* Camera Hesham Farouk Ibrahim
* Editor Ahmed Abdalah
* Music Amir Khalaf
* Sound Mohab Mostafa Ezz
* Art Director Shaima Aziz
* Production and Sales Sherif Mandour
* Cast Hanan Youssef, Boutros Boutros Ghaly, Ramadan Khater, Hanan Adel, Samar Abdelwahab, Mariam Abodouma

SynopsisFrom once being the capital of Egypt during the Pharaonic era and a sacred location marked by the visit of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, Ein Shams has become one of Cairo's poorest and most neglected neighbourhoods. Through the eyes of Shams, an eleven year old girl inhabitant of this neighborhood, the film captures the sadness and magic that envelops everyday life in Egypt. In a series of heart-rending events, the diverse characters of the film showcase the intricacies of Egypt's political system and social structure, and give a glimpse into the grievances of the Middle East region and the complex relationships of its nations.

Director's Note

"In August 1988, I went to Ein Shams with my camera to document the riots against the police. In a confrontation with a policeman, I was shot on my right arm. This incident became the first of a series of distressing and violent events I observed and captured as a war documentary maker. In the 18 years that followed, I filmed 12 wars in over 30 countries. I was shot again when in June 1993 in Bosnia, yet I continued my work believing that pictures portraying the horrors of wars would make a difference. In the beginning of 2004, after completing a documentary on mass graves in Iraq, I returned in Cairo feeling disenchanted by the world and my work. The world of fiction films reinstated my love for the camera and became a venue through which I could explore the realistic style and serious subject matter characteristic of documentary making with the magic and playfulness of fictional storytelling. In 2005 I completed my first featured film Ithaki. Shot digitally and with no budget, this film received a warm welcome by audiences and rendered palpable the burgeoning market for films that are independent, experimental and bold. With Ein Shams I hope to take my fiction work a step further by making it available to wider audiences in Egypt and abroad.

Ein Shams was inspired by an encounter in September 2005. At the time I had just finished my first fiction film Ithaki and was involved in a project teaching children living in Upper Egypt how to use the art of theatre and filmmaking. Mohamed Adel Fatah, a teacher and a director who was also participating in the project, put forward the idea of positioning my next film in his neighborhood, Ein Shams. Mohamed also offered to assist me with access to people and locations. Being a place that has long haunted and fascinated me, I took up his evocation and I wrote a story that was appropriate for Ein Shams. In this film I use footage from my last visit in Iraq, thus bringing to full circle my documentary work that was marked by my first project in the Ein Shams neighborhood almost 20 years ago"

Director's Visual Concept

"I work with a form that blends documentary and fiction genres to accentuate the uncomfortable yet enchanting reality of everyday life. The film embraces the natural warm colours of Cairo to convey to the audience the mood of the city that is mirrored in the film. Ein Shams captures my commitment to exploring alternative styles of cinematic expression made possible by digital media. In the absence of big budgets and technical equipment, I employ the resources made available to me. The film combines natural settings and events with staged performances and employs both trained and non-professional actors and technical crew"

Feature Films

* 2005 Ithaki (D.O.P., Producer, Writer, Director)
* 2007 Ein Shams (The Eye of the Sun) (Writer and Director)

Selected Documentaries

* 1996 Slavery in Southern Sudan (ZDF)
* 1998 The Beginning of the War in Kosovo "(ZDF)"
* 1999 The War in Kosovo "(ZDF)"
* 1999 Nagib Mahfouz: Passage du siecle "(ARTE)"
* 2000 A Day of an Ambulance Driver in Ramalla, Palestine "(ZDF)"
* 2001 Three German Women Living in Gaza "(WDR Germany)"
* 2001 The River that Connects Future EC Countries "(ZDF)"
* 2002 Pilgrimage to Mecca "(ZDF)"
* 2002 Drug Addiction in Kuwait "(ZDF)"
* 2003 Mass Graves in Iraq "(ZDF)"
* 2004 Baghdad "(ZDF)"
* 2006 26 Seconds in Pakistan "(Islamic Relief Foundation)"
* 2007 I am a Refugee in Cairo "(Al Jazeera International)"

Awards and Honors

* 1991 Honorary Award TBS for the coverage of the first Gulf War
* 1994 Axel Springer Award for “Female Circumcision in Ethiopia”
* 1996 ECHO for “The Victim of a War that Ended”
* 2000 Axel Springer Award for “A Day of an Ambulance Driver in Ramalla”
* 2003 Rory Peck Sony International Impact Award Finalist for “Mass Graves in Iraq”
* 2008 The Golden Tauro at the Taormina Film Festival for "Ein Shams"

External Links and References

* [http://batout.net/ Official Website] (English)
* [http://ithakifilm.blogspot.com/ Ithaki blogspot] (Arabic)
* [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/657/profile.htm Article about Ibrahim EL Batout in Al-Ahram Weekly] (English)
* [http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=9062 Article about Ithaki by Joseph Fahim] (English)
* [http://www.dailystaregypt.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ArticleID=11588 Article about Ein Shams by Joseph Fahim] (English)
* [http://www.alhayat.com/culture/movie/08-2007/Item-20070816-6f8ba757-c0a8-10ed-010f-b9bd73aa83ef/story.html Article in Al Hayat] (Arabic)
* [http://www.rorypecktrust.org/awards03/elbatout.htm The Rory Peck Awards 2003]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS7Wski3Ouw A short documentary about Ibrahim el Batout]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHbRHoIkYUQ Ein Shams trailer]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6ciGgvcSwg Ithaki trailer]