Director

Bashir El Deek, Ibrahim Mousa

Egypt, Saudi Arabia | 2019 | 96 min | Arabic with subtitles in English

• Producer Alabbas Bin Alabbas
• Production Company Alsahar Animation
• Screenplay Bashir El Deek
• Cinematography Ibrahim Mousa
• Editing Solafa Nour Eldin
• Sound Mostafa Ali
• Cast Medhat Saleh, Mohamed Henedy, Donia Samir Ghanem, Maged El Kedwany, Abdel Rahman Abou Zahra, Ghassan Matar, Abla Kamel, Saeed Saleh, Amina Rizk
• Contacts

  Alsahar Animation

  alsahar@gmail.com

About the Film

At last, over 20 years of tireless work to bring the musical epic The Knight and the Princess to light has come to fruition. The first Egyptian animated film revolves around the story of the Arab hero Mohammed Bin Alkassim, who was only 15 years old when he set sail to free the prisoners and discipline the pirates. His courage then qualified him to lead the Arab army preparing for the conquest of Sind. Scriptwriter and director Bashir El Deek weaves the thrilling adventures of leader Mohammed Bin Alkassim with the untold love story between the hero and Princess Lubna. The events of the film unfold in a delightful manner, thanks to the comedic dialogue brought to life through the performances of prominent dubbing icons of the Arab region, headed by actor Abdel Rahman Abou Zahra, and including stars Mohamed Henedy and Maged El Kedwany.

The Knight and the Princess represents a paradigm shift in the field of animation in the Arab region, thanks to a huge professional animation team, which succeeds in transforming the characters—created by the late talented artist Mustafa Hussein—into actual actors to whom the viewer can relate. This is complemented by the coloring team's ability to enhance these effects. Additionally, musician Haitham Al-Khamissi’s magnificent score with his dazzling orchestral arrangement perfectly accompanies the film, playing a major role in making it the masterpiece that it is. The graceful melodic diversity that blends several musical genres from across the Arab world, mixed with Indian, Ethiopian and Persian themes, represent the diverse environments that heavily influenced the Arab culture. The lyrics combine freshness and simplicity, becoming an authentic and vital part of the storytelling process.

The film brings to mind the flourishing times throughout Arab history, when our ancestors boasted noble equestrian qualities. The Knight and the Princess carries beautiful values such as devotion, sacrifice and magnanimity in a visually pleasing, dramatic, musical form that makes it attractive to young and adult audiences alike.

Mohamed Atef