a short film by Xiaodan He
and Joseph Antaki
2005 | 8 mins | Canada
in English with brief Arabic
Joseph Antaki .... Ahmed
Claudette Del Burgo .... Mother
Francois Bryon .... Eric
Barbara Alexandre .... Layla
Cairo Calling
Egyptian tradition meets Canadian
diversity when Cairo
comes calling
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Having moved to Canada from Egypt four years ago, all is well in Ahmed's life, until Cairo comes
calling in the form of a telephone call prompting the arrival of his mother. As Egyptian
tradition meets Canadian diversity, the mother of all mothers casts her critical eye
over her son's Montreal apartment, let alone his co-worker Layla
and close friend Eric - and here I do mean close!
Overstaying her welcome, her grand designs on Ahmed's home take on an all the more personal
nature when Mother Ahmed starts shuffling the marriage cards in the form of a bevy of
single Egyptian beauties lined up for her son back home. With a wedding in the
family clearly on her mind, the question beckons - will Mother Ahmed get to
see her son joined in matrimony before she waves Montreal goodbye?
Directed by Xiaodan He alongside writer, co-director and star of the show Joseph Antaki, this
short eight minute work is in effect, a play on the adage 'be careful what you wish for,
it may just come true.' And suffice is to say that love is indeed in the air,
only perhaps not quite the way that Mother Ahmed envisaged!
Well acted, edited and directed and complete with a captivating score, this self-contained
tale marks a fine example of the film short medium; namely an entertaining story
that is beautifully told and executed throughout. Wonderful.
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