Arab cinema is progressing

Tunisian actress Hend Sabri Cairo - Mohamed Alloush Tunisian actress Hend Sabri has hailed the impact of the Doha Tribeca Film festival in helping the revival of Arab cinema after the Arab spring. Sabri was part of the judging panel at the festival, which came to a close on November 24. Speaking to Arabstoday, Hend said the event is one of the main forums supporting cinema in the Arab region. "The Doha Festival has two aspects. Firstly it is actually an official competition among the movies; and secondly it provides filmmakers with great help as the money helps them create more films," Hind said. As a judge, Hind said she was able to take "a broad look at Arab cinema" after two years of change in the region. She said that despite tough times in Arab cinema, she is confident the industry is progressing, "thanks to writers, directors, producers and actors who are fighting in their field, in order to shape the Arab world." Regarding the role of filmmakers in Egypt after the revolution on 25 January, Hind said, "Egyptian actors moved towards independent films after the revolution, wanting to get involved in as many projects as they could, despite the lack of sufficient income to finish these projects." She added that "film-making as an industry is undergoing changes in Egypt and I don't see any differences between independent and commercial movies." Last year, Hend Sabri was co-lead manager of Tropfest Arabia, a short film festival in Abu Dhabi. She selected the final list of nominations from a list of movies which included 16 Arab films.