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> Animation by Mohamed Ghazala
> Animation by Mohamed Ghazala
> Animation by Mohamed Ghazala
Egypt is one of a small group of African countries with a rich history of creating animation films, producing its first animation in the 1930s, called National Defence; animation was used as a tool to mobilize public support against the invading Nazi army. It proved hugely popular and an industry creating animation films was born.
Animation films over the years became less and less popular as economic challenges sweeping across Africa took its toll on the industry. However new animation films like the celebrated Honayn’s shoe which won best animation at this year’s African Movie Academy Awards (2010) are heralding a renaissance in animation as a tool for story telling across Africa.
African screens Don Omope speaks with the Egyptian animation director Mohamed Ghazala, about his award wining animation film Honayn's Shoe.
Tell us what your animation film ‘Honayn's shoe’ is about?
My animation film is a story of Honayn, the nomad, who got lost with his camel in the desert seeking his lost shoes.
What inspired you to create this particular storyline?
Honayn is a fairytale story based on Arabian folklore, but I modified the storyline and its end… the original story was about Honayn, the nomad trader who insulted a seller in the city market, and the seller decided to take revenge by steeling his camel with his goods.
How long did it take you to create the animation? And how did you go about funding it?
I actually started to thinking about this story in 1996 when I was studying animation in Minia University-Egypt. I have an idea about the man who may lose what he has for seeking the unreachable.
So I did the storyboard of the story and kept it in my cupboard for next 14 years because I couldn't find time or budget to do it.
When I heard that the Animation Unit of Cinema Palace of Ministry of Culture in Cairo offering funds for short films I was very eager to submit my project to get this 1000 Euros funding for my film. I discovered that they needed in this round of submissions, traditional Arabian stories, so I modified my storyboard and secured the funding.
It took me about 2 months to create the animation.
Animation is not the most popular form of film making in Africa, can tell us about the animation industry in Egypt?
When Disney (1901–1966) started to make his first feature animated film "Snow White and Seven Dwarfs" in 1930s, there was a small group of Russian carpenters who worked with their Egyptian partners to create an animated film for the Egyptian Ministry of Defence.
The film was commissioned to help in the mobilization of the national army against the attacking Nazi army in World War II. The group of carpenters were Frenkel brothers, and the film called "National Defense" and was released before feature films in cinema halls in Cairo and Alexandria in late 1939, to be one of the oldest animation films not only in Egypt, but in Africa.
Right now in Egypt there are more than 50 animation studios, which vary between big, medium and small, there are round 10 big studios which provide more than 100 animated hours yearly, between series, episodes, ads and short films.
Tell us about yourself and what inspired you to go into animation.
I'm a lecturer, director of animated films, and founder of the first chapter of the International Animated Film Association "ASIFA" in Africa and in the Arab world, this organisation is based in Egypt.
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> Animator, Mohamed Ghazala taking African animation to greater heights.
Interview by Don Omope | Photo courtesy of Mohamed Ghazala
Spotlight Egyptian Animation: Honayn's Shoe by Mohamed Ghazala
