Eye of the Sun (Ein Shams)

Documentary director Ibrahim El-Batout's second feature film is a weaving, hypnotic mosaic of images and sounds that takes the viewer from war-torn Iraq to the impoverished Cairo neighbourhood of Ein Shams. Mixing some astounding real-life footage of life in Baghdad and Cairo - Batout was stationed in Iraq in the early months of the war - Eye of the Sun follows taxi driver Ramadan (Ramadan Khater) who also works for Selim Bey (Boutros Boutros-Ghali), a wealthy businessman heavily burdened with debt. Ramadan's 11-year-old daughter Shams (a mischievous Hanan Adel) dreams of being taken on a day trip out of their crumbling neighbourhood to see downtown Cairo, much to the consternation of her father.

Though the rest of the plot is minimal, Batout fashions a compelling portrait of an Egypt on the brink, torn between a glorified past and a present blighted by corruption and poverty. The choice of Ein Shams as the principal setting also affords the film a poignant timeliness. Once the capital of Egypt - it was built on the ruins of the ancient city of Heliopolis - the area has since seen its fortunes dimmed by underdevelopment and overpopulation. That doesn't stop Batout from delivering an irresistible evocation of modern-day Cairo in all its tainted beauty.
Ali Jaafar