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The Virgin, the Copts and Me
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The Virgin, the Copts and Me
IDFA 2017

The Virgin, the Copts and Me

La vierge, les coptes et moi
Namir Abdel Messeeh
France, Qatar
2012
85 min
Dutch Premiere
Festival history

Born in Egypt and raised in France by his Coptic parents, filmmaker Namir Abdel Messeeh considers himself an atheist, so his relationship with his religious roots is complicated. After watching an old video of a religious holiday in the region of his birthplace, in which his mother Siham claims to have had a vision of the Blessed Virgin, Messeeh convinces his producer that the claims of Marian apparitions in Egypt will make a great subject for a feature-length film. In this playful documentary, which is as much about filmmaking as it is about family and religion, Messeeh travels to Egypt. There, he quickly finds out how divisive the subject of these apparitions is. He then decides on another strategy and travels to the Asyut region, home to many of his mother's relatives. But when he leaves Cairo just as the Arab Spring is unfolding, Messeeh ends up in conflict with his producer, who then drops the project. Now the forceful Siham steps in, adding to the project what turns out to be at the very heart of the matter: theater.

Credits
Director
    Namir Abdel Messeeh
    Namir Abdel Messeeh
Production
    Namir Abdel Messeeh for Oweda Films
    Namir Abdel Messeeh for Oweda Films
Editing
    Sébastien De Sainte
    Sébastien De Sainte
Screening copy
    Doc & Film International
    Doc & Film International
World Sales
    Doc & Film International
    Doc & Film International