Cinema
Barsoum Looking for a Job
برسوم يبحث عن وظيفة
Mohamed Bayoumi · 1923
Synopsis
Barsoum, an Egyptian Christian, and his Muslim friend, Sheikh Metwalli, are out of work and penniless. Together they look for a job, even in a bank, and see their efforts fail one after another. The film shows poverty and hunger, and places the two men under the sign of the unity of believers, recalled by the portrait of Saad Zaghloul, leader of the 1919 revolution.
Context
Shooting began on 12 September 1923, a date that critics regard as the true start of Egyptian cinema, Maspero reports; the film was shown on 31 December. Bayoumi wrote it, directed it, photographed it and produced it; Bishara Wakim plays Sheikh Metwalli and Adel Hamid plays Barsoum. Al Jazeera sees in it the first leading role given to a Christian character in Egyptian cinema. The Hurghada festival celebrated its centenary in 2023.
Who it is for
A sixteen-minute silent short film, in black and white; it can be seen in retrospectives and archives.
Prizes and reception
First entirely Egyptian fiction film, an appeal for tolerance between Muslims and Christians.
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