Egyptian film-making is showing some vitality

In late 2005 Egptyians flocked to "The Night Baghdad Fell", a farce that reflected their anxieties about regional developments and specifically the threat American power. The movie that has them all talking in Cairo this year is "The Yacoubian Building", which frankly depicts government corruption torture and gays. The Egyptian cinema is far from recapturing the glory days of the mid-Twentieth century but it is refreshingly vital.
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Taboo-smashing film breaks Egypt records: "'The idea of film-making is to make a film that makes people think - so the film is doing its purpose, and I'm very happy about that,' he said.

'It was a thin line between trying to be daring and pushing away the audience.

'We need to talk about the taboos, and we need to cancel the word 'taboos' from our lives - we need to talk about everything to become better. If we don't, if we hide everything in denial, how are we going to become better?'"