Mohamed Hefzy, the screenwriter for Ras El Sanna, aims to encourage his audiences to forget negativity and focus on togetherness. Hefzy answers questions about his participation in the creation of such a film.
CWM: How did the idea for Ras Al Sanna come about?
The idea behind Ras Al Sanna comes from my realization that the ultra-rich segment of Egyptian society is often misrepresented in film and often come across as cliché. I wanted to tell a story where characters from the opposite sides of the spectrum come together on one night in a climatic moment that changes people’s perceptions of themselves. I find that Egypt is a country with a dying middle class, and I believe the middle class is what gives the country its identity and its core values. For that reason, our society has found itself with very extreme, opposed, and conflicting core values and somebody had to talk about that.
What are you hoping the audience will take away from the film?
I hope audiences won’t turn on each other and be angry with one another, and I hope they see there is hope that we can live as one society despite all our differences.
How did the casting choices affect the final outcome of the film?
I wanted to create a cast with both stars and upcoming actors that can fit the unique characters represented in the film. It’s an ensemble cast with 9 or 10 main characters, so it was interesting because often the young up-and-comers ended up with more screen time than the bigger stars!
