Screening Theme:
“Expressionist Realism in Cinema… When Reality is Emotionally Reshaped”

When we speak of expressionist realism in cinema, we are not merely discussing an attempt to “imitate” reality or “suggest” realism as a visual perspective. Instead, we encounter an artistic approach that reconstructs reality as it is lived, felt, and understood through the human experience of its characters—not just as it is seen. This realism is stripped of neutrality and detachment, especially in expressionist realism, which delves into the layered human experience of lived reality. Here, everyday details carry deeper meanings, transcending their surface presence. The camera ceases to be a passive eye and becomes a tool for introspection.

In this cinematic form, the external world is reshaped through internal experience. Spaces transform into psychological realms alongside their social functions, and characters embody emotional conflicts rather than merely serving narrative purposes. Places, bodies, and relationships are charged with dense emotional weight, molding reality through sensory and interpretive dimensions—not just its visible surface.

Through this program, we invite a re-examination of “realism” and its applications in cinema, moving beyond visual mimicry to explore how experience and emotion profoundly shape our perception of reality.

Featured Film: The Land (Restored Version)

A dramatic film following “Mohamed Abu Swaylem” as he leads farmers in their struggle against agricultural feudalism in 1930s Egypt, fighting to reduce their unfairly allocated irrigation share.

Adapted from Abdel Rahman El-Sharqawy’s novel Al-Ard (The Land) and directed by Youssef Chahine, the film features a screenplay by Hassan Fouda, cinematography by Mahmoud Bakr, and a score by Ali Ismail performed by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra. The cast includes Mahmoud El-Meliguy, Yahya Shahin, Ezzat El-Alaily, Nagwa Ibrahim, Hamdy Ahmed, and Tewfik El-Deken.

The Land competed in the official selection of the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and was voted one of the 100 greatest Egyptian films of all time in a 1996 critics’ poll celebrating cinema’s centenary. This screening presents the newly restored version.

Genre: Drama
Country: Egypt
Language: Arabic
Year: 1970
Runtime: 128 minutes

Post-Screening Discussion

The film will be followed by an open discussion with the audience, moderated by Islam Kamal.

Islam Kamal is a filmmaker and alumnus of Jesuit Cinema School and the Faculty of Fine Arts. A co-founder of Veglief Studio and the documentary filmmaking program Cinedelta, his works have screened at major festivals including Rotterdam, Berlin, and Carthage. He currently directs the cinema program at the Jesuit Cultural Center in Alexandria.

Admission is free and open to the public—no registration required.

AI generated translation.