The Vice Versa workshop was designed to stimulate creative filmmaking and encourage a new generation of visual artists in Egypt. Developed by the collective A Kiss in the Desert, and supported by Mophradat, this first edition welcomes up to 14 projects focusing on different modes of self-exploration and autobiography through moving-image and film formats. During the workshop, the participants will develop their projects by sharing the creative process of pre-production with the other filmmakers and under the guidance of our consultants. By the end of the workshop, each project will have a complete dossier (used to apply for film funds and grants), and two projects will be selected to be produced with the support of A Kiss in the Desert.

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The workshop was held weekly, from September 21, until November 9, 2021, both in-person at Cimatheque, and virtually via Google Meet.

During the workshop, the supervisors addressed the topic of 'first person cinema', discussing the very notion of self-representation, its history, and the different formats applied to self-investigation as a cinematic genre. In the meantime, the participants worked on their respective projects while receiving individual and collective feedback, and developed their film dossiers.

The workshop hosted two guest speakers: Alisa Lebow, filmmaker and film scholar, who discussed her book, The Cinema of Me, with the participants; and Alia Ayman, filmmaker and film programmer, shared her experience making a first person film, and her reflections on first person cinema in the region.





The workshop was concluded on November 9.

Three, out of the ten participating projectrs, were selected to receive the Vice Versa Grant. The recipients are:



1. Three Dreams, One Reality, directed by Yomna Khattab.

The filmmaker sees her deceased grandfather in a dream, eating beef, happily, on the head of the table . The visit drives her to further invistigate the relationship she had with the male figures of her family.

The project recieved 3000 USD (1000 USD in cash for production, and 2000 USD in the form of 8 consultation sessions).



2. Looking for Spiderman, directed by Nadia Ghanem.

The filmmaker’s brother, who studies law in France, decided to drop out of university to join the French army, cutting ties with his family. 

The project recieved 1500 USD (in the form of 6 consultation sessions).



3. Home, Somewhere, directed by Rania Zahra.

The filmmaker is haunted by her childhood family house. In an attempt to reconcile
with her memories, she chases the very notion of home.

The project recieved 500 USD (in the form of 2 consultation sessions).