The team behind the Arab film Mawlana (The Preacher) are intent on proving that there’s no relation between religion and violence.
“We represent peace, and religion is a source of comfort … Let religion be between you and God. Don’t let it be political,’ said director Magdy Ahmad Ali in an interview after the premiere of his film at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) on December 10.
The drama chronicles the journey of a preacher, Shaikh Hatem (Amr Saad), and how he navigates his world surrounded by hypocrisy and fear.
Ahmad Ali and his son, actor Ahmad Magdy, who plays a royal member of the Egyptian ruling family in the film, claim they have tried to demystify the relationship between politics and religion.
In Mawlana, Magdy plays a fanatic who wants to convert to Christianity from Islam.
“It’s a sensitive subject in Egypt. You either will be killed or you will have to leave Egypt to be safe. And because my character is from a royal family it gets more tricky. And Hatem [the preacher] doesn’t how to deal with it … You should watch this movie because for years filmmakers have been talking about the relationship between politics and religion. Finally there’s a film that transmits the messages in an artistic manner,” said Magdy.
While the father-son duo are curious about how the West will receive their film, they are determined to take it to as many film festivals as they can.
“We are living in a country like Egypt which has 15 million people, many of whom are Christians. We want to say to those who are alive that we live together as human beings,” said Ahmad Ali.
