Page 24 - Issue 48

ELITE
Vol.1, Issue 48, October 2022

The Cinema and the

Memory of Generations

Touka Samy - level 4 - economics

Art has formed a huge part of nations’ consciousness On the fiftieth anniversary of the occupation of
through the ages, and despite the diversity of arts, Palestine, young people came out on the university
Cinema has had the greatest part of young people's campus calling for the United States to end the siege on
interest, Especially the nineties generation, the Iraq, and for the Israeli occupation to leave the State of
generation that experienced everything and its opposite, Palestine. Ahmad drew the flag of Israel and Khalaf
and rebelled against all familiar things. burnt it to be his first time to take a serious stand in his
It’s the summer of 1997, and the most popular outing life and describes his relief while burning the flag.
back then was watching a movie in the cinema, one of Another year passes and the movie "Hammam in
the movies released this year was “Ismailia Rayeh Amsterdam" is released in the cinemas, telling the story
Gaay”. Four years have passed since the first Palestinian of Hammam, who traveled to chase his dreams in
Intifada, and eight years have passed since the flag of Holland meeting Yoda, an Israeli young man who tries
the Arab Republic of Egypt was raised on the land of to woo him and pretend to be innocent. Hammam
Taba. The movie tells the story of Hema’s family that refuses to shake hands with him when he knows his
was displaced from the city of Ismailia after the 1967 identity and political orientation. The conflict
war, receiving the news of the martyrdom of their son continues during the events of the film, and Hammam
Gamal in the 1973 war, that’s when the family knew defeats Yoda's attempts to harm him only when he and
that they would live amputated forever. Hema sang his friends unite. The film did not stop there, the
"Eldam dah Damy" for his dead brother, awakening director referred to Al-Aqsa Mosque more than once
sadness and igniting anger within us. through a painting hanging in the house of Hammam
One year passed and the movie “Saidi at the American and his friends.
University" was released in the cinemas showing
everyone the dreams of young people and telling the
story of Khalaf, a bright young man from Upper Egypt
who received a scholarship to study at the American
University in Cairo. Khalaf did not have a political
vision, or at least the movie did not show that. On the
other hand, Ahmed, a young man with a clear political
vision and indignant at reality. His preoccupation with
the political situation led him to fail more than once.

#4YEARS_ELITE 21