Egyptian pop star and actor Tamer Hosny is returning to the big screen after a two-year absence with the release of dark comedy Mesh Ana.
Written by Hosny and directed by Sara Wafiq, the film also features Saudi actor Fayez Al Malki, as well as scenes shot in Riyadh.
While an official release date is yet to be announced, Hosny confirmed on his Instagram on Monday that Mesh Ana "will be out in two weeks".
A serious comedy
With the trailer having amassed more than 10 million views on YouTube, anticipation for Hosny's film is strong. The star was last seen in 2019 action film Al Felos.
In addition to his star power, another reason for the enthusiasm is the seemingly complex subject matter.
A comedy drama, Mesh Ana centres on the fraying mental health of Hassan (played by Hosny) after he wakes up one morning without full control of his limbs and spends the ensuing days physically lashing out at friends, family and members of the public.
Each unprovoked attack is met with the plea “mesh ana", meaning "it’s not me".
As well as the slapstick comedy, the film takes a serious turn when Hassan seeks counselling.
The trailer hints that Mesh Ana will pose questions about how Arab societies deal with mental health.
It also features scenes of friends shrugging off Hassan’s challenges and medical professionals perplexed by his condition.
"I really worked hard in this role and writing a subject matter like this," Hosny said on Instagram.
"Of course, this is a joint effort of all the crew and stars who participated in the work.”
More Egyptian-Saudi film productions
In an interview with ET bil Arabi, director Wafiq, whose last film was 2017's Ala Wadak, described Hosny's role as a career-best performance.
“He worked so hard as the role relies on both his physical and mental intensity,” she said. “This is his best work.”
The film's release will also be a win for the Egyptian film industry, with Mesh Ana one of a number of high-profile productions halted in 2020 as a precaution against the pandemic.
Wafiq also praised Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority for facilitating the Riyadh shoot. She hopes the film will encourage further Egyptian-Saudi productions in the future.
"It was a really great experience and I hope we can do more work there," Wafiq said. "Everything was organised and we felt really comfortable. Hopefully through the scenes shot there with Al Malki, we created some wonderful work the viewers will enjoy."
Along with Al Malki, the supporting cast includes Egyptian stars Hala Shiha, Maged El Kedwany and Sawsan Badr.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
