The eighth edition of the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2018 should make every Egyptian proud. Thousands and thousands of films submitted their work this year, with only 3,000 of them making the cut, and guess what? One of them is an Egyptian short fashion film by the talented Maison Mehany, along with Yassine Ismail. The London College of Fashion Student’s short film, Nonsense, was selected by the University of the Arts London to be exclusively screened during the five-day-long cinematic event — making it the first-ever fashion film by Egyptians to be played at York’s prestigious cinematic festival. It’s a beautiful day to witness some of Egypt’s young talents shine.
“This has been an overwhelming experience for the founders of fashion production house Maison Mehany. Representing Egypt’s heritage and background made me realize that the Egyptian fashion industry deserves more presence among other cultures,” Anne Mehany, Co-Founder of Maison Mehany, told me. “After my dad’s death, I started questioning humanity, and this is what my short film is all about. I wanted the actors to seem lost, like we all are at some points in our lives,” she added.
“A photograph is static; visually but not always emotionally. The viewer perceives art based on personal experience and emotions. As a creator, I also consume my own art based on the personal experience I had producing it. I believe it is essential to produce work in an environment that comforts you and surround yourself with like-minded individuals that understand where you are coming from. Anne has saved me a lot of time explaining myself, we were spiritually connected through art. My work with Maison Mehany has been a life changing experience and not just a successful final outcome,” added Yassine Ismail, the director of Nonsense.
