Family values are very important to the people of Egood Film in Cairo. digital studio visits a "traditional style" film production house.
Running in the family

E good Film is a family run production company based in cairo founded by director Ibrahim Saleh, and now managed by Doris Saleh, the company has grown from a tiny operation to one of great local reputation. But it has never lost sight of its time-honoured values. 

Egood Film has its roots in the traditional family business and this has guided it throughout its life. If production companies could ever be just like your corner shop, giving you a personal services to a high quality and even offering you the benefit of their years of experience, then Egood Film is that production company.

"Talent, experience, and precision in the field of film and TV production and equipment." These are the company's strengths. digital studio met both Doris and Ibrahim Saleh to discuss the company and film making in Cairo.

Ibrahim Saleh, founder of Egood Film and
cinematographer, director
 actors and actresses who get the chance to show their talents in the many TV series'. This is the case right from the very beginning of their careers. As for technical talent, Egypt has highly qualified technicians who work for the ERTU and in the open market.
Both acting and technical talent makes the local production so appealing and has attracted Arabic satellite channels, like ART and Orbit, to be stationed in Cairo.
Can Egypt ever seriously be considered a media hub for the Middle East?
Egypt was once considered the "Hollywood of the Middle East". And this was the case right up until the 1970s. Then the number of local productions dropped rapidly. Even so, if one counted the different nationalities of Arabic Films and series in the theaters and on TVs in the Middle East, then one would definitely find that Egyptian productions make up the great majority of those productions.

What do you think of the opportunities available for independent local  television and film producers in Egypt?
Egypt is considered as one of the biggest television and film producers in the Middle East. All the opportunities one can think about are available.You only need a good script and the money to produce. Anything you can finish will be distributed immediately inside Egypt and in the Arabic World. Film and TV production are very much alike. Arabic Satellite stations often buy the rights because there is a big programme shortage for them. The only real problem that we face is the financing of a production.
As for the TV channels, they listen and they finance some productions. The good thing is that they only work with locals. We can say that about 80% of our work today is for Egyptian Television and its
different satellite channels.		 What do you think are Egood Films' strengths?
Egood Film strength lies in the combination of a production and rental company, led by a highly qualified and experienced technician, assisted by a very highly skilled production team.
The technical crews are all trained in-house right from the beginning of their educational life. In this way, they stay with us to build well co-ordinated teams.
Egood Film is capable of realising any project without needing to turn to other production companies.
What do you make of the plans for the Egyptian "Media Free-trade zone"?
I would say it will expand the opportunities for local producers to find the financing they need and speed up the exporting of both Film and TV material.		 Is the quality of equipment and technical support available in Egypt to either buy or hire? Do you think that there are any things that manufacturers, distributors and resellers could do to help the local independent producers in Egypt?
Just about everything is available to buy in Egypt. Hiring is another matter. Filming equipment, either film or video, is available for hire, but everything else related to the developing of film and video is not up to the latest technical standards. Films developing in Egypt is more disadvantaged than video. Much of the developing is done in Europe. What we really need in Egypt are good film labs and audio studios.
What is your opinion of the quality of local acting and technical talent in Egypt?
In Egypt there are lots of gifted		 In an ideal world, if you had unlimited budget, equipment and time, what would be your perfect project?
The perfect project would be a film contrasting rich and poor, hunger and overwhelming richness. This film would be a corporate production between all the countries in the world, with actors and actresses from all nationalities, speaking one language. It would show what no one ever really gets to see. In Africa, in the ghettos of India and America, in Eastern Europe and Russia, everywhere that contrast can be shown as it really is.