Egyptian director Ashraf Fayek announced his withdrawal from the presidency of the jury for the Nineveh International Film Festival, which is set to take place in the city of Mosul, stating in a post on his official page that he has withdrawn alongside a number of participating Egyptian artists.
Fayek said that his decision to withdraw came in light of what he described as the overreach and arrogance of the festival director, Laith Askar, noting that the way several Egyptian art stars were treated, according to his account, does not befit their artistic status.
The Egyptian director confirmed that what happened does not represent a stance against Iraq or its people, emphasizing that his relationship with the Iraqi people and Iraqi artists is based on love and respect, and that the disagreement, from his perspective, relates to the management of the festival and its treatment of Egyptian artists.
Fayek added that the dignity of Egyptian stars is a red line, considering that what occurred reflects, in his description, a lack of experience in managing festivals and unprofessionalism in dealing with artists, in addition to an insufficient understanding of Egyptian art and its stars.
In conclusion of his post, Ashraf Fayek stressed the depth of Egyptian-Iraqi relations, affirming that the disagreement with the festival management should not affect the brotherly and artistic relationships between the two countries.