Feathers
An Egyptian couple with three children lives modestly and traditionally: she takes care of the house, he earns the money. Every morning, he leaves her a few pennies for shopping with a wish of what he would like to eat after work; when he comes back, dinner is waiting on the table. The quiet rhythm of their uneasy life is interrupted on their son's birthday. Family, friends, even the boss attend the party bearing much-anticipated gifts. The biggest attraction, however, is the performance of an illusionist who accidentally turns the husband into a chicken. Can the spell be reversed? Strenuous attempts are made, while the woman is left alone with the children, problems and a chicken. How are they supposed to live? The dramedy by Omar El Zohaira, shows the hardships of the lives of people left to their own devices, with particular focus on the fate of the "single woman" with neo-realistic reverence, but also with disarming humor. Feathers was the first Egyptian film in history to be included in the program of the Cannes Critics Week, where a jury chaired by Cristian Mungiu (4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days, Beyond the Hills) awarded it the main prize.
awards
Cannes IFF Critics Week 2021 – Grand Prize
Omar El Zohairy
Omar El Zohairy (b. 1988) is an Egyptian director who was born and studied in Cairo. There, he took his first cinematic steps under the watchful eye of renowned Egyptian filmmakers, such as Yousri Nasrallah, or assisting Tamer El Said on The Last Days of the City (winner of the 16th New Horizons). His short films were shown at the festival in Dubai and at the Cinéfondation section of Cannes. This year he returned to Cannes with the feature-length debut, Feathers, which won the main prize in the Critics Week section.
Filmography
2011 Zafir / Breathe Out (short)
2014 Ma baad wadea hagar el asas l mashrou el hammam bel kilo 375 / The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometre 375 (short)
2021 Pióra / Feathers