Australian Premiere

Shams is a playful, inquisitive 11-year-old, who dreams of travelling to downtown Cairo. Her teacher, Fatma, pours scorn on the idea, and her father, the beleaguered taxi driver and part-time chauffeur Ramadan to shady businessman Selim Bey (Boutros Boutros-Ghali), has no time to indulge his daughter. El-Batout’s poignant tale journeys through modern day Egypt, weaving a mosaic of images and sounds.

FESTIVALS

• Ayam Beirut Al Cinema’iya (Cinema Days of Beirut), 2008
• Dubai International Film Festival, 2008

AWARDS

• The Golden Bull, Top Prize at the 54th Taormina Film Festival, 2008
• The Golden Hawk, Rotterdam Festival, 2008
• International Carthage Festival Award, 2008

Watch the trailer: