Immediately after the release of the trailer for the film “The Atheist,” which is scheduled to be shown on August 14, new crises erupted regarding it, which sparked widespread controversy between campaigns, lawsuits, and complaints demanding that the film be banned from showing and accused of inciting atheism.
On the other hand, the makers of the work called for caution and watching the film before making any preconceived judgments.
lawsuit
The Administrative Court of the Egyptian State Council had set Saturday, August 24, as the date for considering the lawsuit filed by former Zamalek Club President Counselor Mortada Mansour to stop and withdraw the film’s licenses inside and outside Egypt.
In the lawsuit, the Egyptian lawyer accused the Minister of Culture Ahmed Fouad, the head of the censorship of artistic works Khaled Abdel Jalil, the author of the film Ibrahim Issa, and the producer Ahmed El-Sobky of inciting atheism, destroying the constants of the Islamic religion, and carrying negative messages to destroy all religious values in society.
The lawsuit came in conjunction with campaigns on social media platforms calling for the film to be banned.
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On the other hand, the makers of “The Atheist” defended the work against the campaigns it is facing. Ahmed Hatem, the film’s star, said in press statements that everyone who attacked the film had not watched it, but based their attack on news circulating on social media platforms or scenes taken from the film’s advertisement. He asked the attackers to wait until the film is shown and then decide what they want.
Director Mando El Adl said that he will respond to all critics, but only after the film is shown, especially since he expected the attack since the film was announced.
The film’s star, Sherine Reda, defended the work, saying that it contains important awareness messages for the young generation because they go through different stages of thinking and are influenced by Western ideas, such as the idea of atheism that controls some people due to their lack of a good understanding of religion.
She added that the film discusses how parents can deal with a person who has these ideas in a good way so that they do not reach the opposite result.
As for the film’s producer, Ahmed El Sobky, during an intervention on the “Question Mark” program, in response to whether the film was reviewed by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, he said that there is nothing in the work that contradicts the Islamic religion, and that there are figures from Al-Azhar who reviewed the film, and that censorship will not allow the showing of things that contradict the rules of the Islamic religion.
He pointed out that the name of the film, “The Atheist,” is the reason behind this crisis, but if the film had another name, it would not have been subjected to these campaigns without watching it and before it was shown.
He stressed that the film discusses an important issue with religion, not against religion.
In statements by El-Sobky, he indicated that he obtained all approvals, whether from censorship or the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar, so he is certain that the content presented by the film contains a message that everyone will know when watching it, and he confirmed that the film will be shown on the date specified for it without change.
On the other hand, a source from Al-Azhar Al-Sharif denied that the film was shown to a committee to express its opinion on its theatrical screening.
The source revealed in statements to a local website that what some are promoting about the film obtaining approval from Al-Azhar is not true.
“The Atheist 2014″… A Censorship Crisis
The film is facing another crisis regarding its name after the writer and director Nader Seif El-Din gave an official warning to the producer Ahmed El-Sobky to change the name of the film before its commercial release, as a film titled “The Atheist” written and directed by him had previously been released in 2014, and Seif El-Din is taking all legal measures to stop the film from being released.
Saif El-Din said in a statement, “I sent an official warning to producer Ahmed El-Sobky, registered under No. 21576, dated July 30, to stop showing the film after the seizure and blatant infringement of my intellectual property rights to the film’s name and idea.”
He explained in the statement that the scenario of “The Atheist” has been registered in his name since February 11, 2013, and he renewed the license again on October 20, 2013, in the files of the censorship of artistic works at the Ministry of Culture.
He also filed two complaints, the first to the Ministry of Culture’s censorship of artistic works, which registered his film with the entry number 354 on July 31, and another complaint to the Cinema Professions Syndicate, registered with the entry number 916 on August 1, 2024, against producer Ahmed El-Sobky, writer Ibrahim Eissa, and director Mando El-Adl.
Producer Ahmed El Sobky commented on the crisis to an Egyptian newspaper, saying that he did not receive any warning, and that the approval of the censorship authority had been obtained, and in the event of any objection, the author Ibrahim Issa and the director Mando El Adl should be addressed, not the producer.
As for the Director of Legal Affairs at the Control, Jasser Wahid, he said that the complaint will be examined during the current week, and will be dealt with like any other complaint.
Successive crises
The film “The Atheist” – starring Sherine Reda, Mahmoud Hemeida, Ahmed Hatem, Hussein Fahmy, Sabreen and Tara Emad, written by Ibrahim Eissa and directed by Mando El Adl – has been facing several crises for years, specifically with the beginning of the film’s preparations and filming, as its release was postponed more than once.
The late artist Mustafa Darwish also withdrew from participating in the film, coinciding with the statements of the film’s writer Ibrahim Issa about the Isra and Mi’raj, which caused widespread controversy in 2022.
Darwish wrote in a post on his Facebook account, saying, “I, Mustafa Darwish, have decided to boycott any program presented by Ibrahim Eissa, and I apologize for completing the film, of which I have already filmed 4 days.”
He explained that the reason for his apology was the author of the story, Ibrahim Issa, who refused to be a tool for war against his religion.
The events of “The Atheist” revolve around the young doctor Yahya, who belongs to a religiously extremist family and whose father is the sheikh of an extremist group. The hero undergoes changes in his religious beliefs, after which he decides to declare his atheism in front of everyone. His uncle tries to intervene with the help of a psychiatrist in order to resolve the escalating crisis.
