In line with its goal of integrating the blind and visually impaired into the Egyptian society and securing their simple right to enjoy a normal life, Zawya screened Youssef Chahine's classical epic Al Nasser Saladdin with audio description, under the auspices of the Commercial International Bank – Egypt (CIB) and in association with Masreya Media. This special movie show was held for the second time as an attempt to introduce the blind and visually impaired citizens to the high-end arts of cinema. The screening witnessed an outstanding participation of attendees who described this experience as a valuable one and the first of its kind in Egypt.

CIB’s sponsorship reflects the Bank’s strategy to support all outstanding initiatives that aim at promoting the artistic culture and knowledge in the society, developing the aesthetic sense through classic, fine arts and music and importantly, shaping the minds and talents of Egyptian youth. This explains the significance of the Bank’s partnership with Zawya, which was launched by the Misr International Films  in March 2014 as the first art-house cinema in Egypt. Zawya’s program focuses on local independent films to encourage and promote the work of young Egyptian and Arab filmmakers. Having organized screenings in multiple venues in and outside of Cairo, Zaywa aims to eventually grow into a series of cinema screens spread out across the country. Zawya also gives special attention to the concept of Education and Cinema, developing a strong educational program in collaboration with schools and universities in Egypt. 

The second screening of “Al Nasser Saladdin” was attended by a number of distinguished guests, including the Egyptian iconic actress Nadia Lotfy.

It’s worth mentioning that audio description is an increasingly popular technique that allows films, television programs, operas, theatre performances and exhibitions to be accessible to blind and visually impaired people. It involves additional narration that is used to describe scenes, body language, facial expressions and costumes, thus filling in the necessary blanks for this spectrum of citizens.