The Virgin, the Copts and Me

The Virgin, the Copts and Me is a 2011 documentary film directed by Namir Abdel Messeeh.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

The Virgin, the Copts and Me
Directed by	Namir Abdel Messeeh
Produced by	Centre National de la Cinématographie, Doha Film Institute, Maison de l'Image Basse-Normandie, Oweda Films
Written by	Namir Abdel Messeeh, Nathalie Najem, Anne Paschetta
Screenplay by	Namir Abdel Messeeh, Nathalie Najem, Anne Paschetta
Starring	Namir Abdel Messeeh, Siham Abdel Messeeh,
Music by	Vincent Segal
Cinematography	Nicolas Duchêne
Edited by	Sebastien De Sainte Croix, Isabelle Manquillet
Distributed by	Doc & Film International, Sophie Dulac Distribution (France)
Release date	2011 (2011)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	Egypt France Qatar
Language	Arab, French

Synopsis

Namir is Egyptian, a Copt and now lives in France.[2][3][4][6][7][8][9] When there is a family reunion, he buys an old video cassette recorded many years earlier at a religious holiday in his home village, when his mother said she had had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary.[2][3][4][8][9] Namir realizes he has in his hands a very interesting subject for a documentary: he convinces his producer that it is a good idea and sets off on a journey that takes him back to his origins and puts his profession as a director to the test.[2][3][4][6][7][9] However, he has not reckoned with his mother, the real protagonist of the story.[2][3][4][9][10] Eventually, in her hometown, they recreate an apparition with the help of the other villagers.[2][3][9]

Critical reception

• Shown at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, the Festival Cinema Africano, the 2012 EBS International Documentary Festival, the 2012 Kraków Film Festival and at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[2][3][4][7][9] It will be shown at the 2013 Sydney Film Festival.[6][11]
• Variety drew a parallel between the Coptic minority in Egypt and the Egyptian minority in France, and they commended the editing.[5] For Slant Magazine, the staged apparition brings the film to a "satisfying climax".[9] The Huffington Post commended the director's decision to keep the footage filmed in 2010, prior to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.[11] For America, the "Coptic population" is "held together by a shared sense of self-abnegation and unwavering faith" and it is "faith that remains a rallying force for the Copts on the screen" despite their "victimized status as a religious minority".[12]

https://www.elwatannews.com/news/details/3110681: the Virgin Mary is venerated by Egyptian Muslims and Christians, and visiting places of which is believed the Virgin Mary appeared, is a further point that unite both religious elements.

References

1. La Vierge, les Coptes et Moi on IMDb
2. "The Virgin, the Copts and Me". Tribecafilm.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
3. Festival Cinema Africano
4. EBS International Documentary Festival
5. Jay Weissberg, The Virgin, the Copts and Me, Variety, Nov. 8, 2011
6. Sydney Film Festival
7. Kraków Film Festival Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
8. The San Francisco Chronicle
9. Gerard Raymond, Tribeca Film Festival 2012: The Virgin, the Copts and Me, Slant Magazine, April 25th, 2012
10. African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival - Milan - 22nd edition (license CC BY-SA)
11. E. Nina Rothe, DFI Presents Groundbreaking: The Virgin, the Copts and Me at Tribeca, Huffington Post, 04/27/2012
12. Victor Stepien, Keeping the Faith, America, October 8, 2012

External links

• Namir Abdel Messeeh's official blog