Karim El Shenawy to Direct the Second Part of the Film "Sahar Al-Layali"

- It was announced on Friday that Karim El Shenawy has been chosen to direct the second part of the famous Egyptian film "Sahar El Layali" based on a screenplay by Tamer Habib, the original writer of the film, more than 20 years after the release of the first part. El Shenawy considered, in a statement, that "dealing with a work of the size of Sahar El Layali is an exceptional responsibility." He added: "The original film, written by Tamer Habib and directed by Hani Khalifa in 2003, was not just a box office success at the time; it established a rare space in Egyptian cinema, a space where people talk about their relationships honestly and without embellishment, and in a language close to their daily lives."

He explained: "We are not re-presenting the first part, nor are we continuing its stories. We are posing the same question to a new generation that loves, marries, differs, and separates in a completely different way."

"The nature of relationships has changed, the tools of communication have changed, and what is said and what is hidden has changed, but the human confusion at its core remains the same," he added, noting that the ambition behind producing the second part is to maintain "the space that the original film opened and to fill it with stories and questions related to the moment we are living in now." The production of the second part of the film "Sahar Al-Layali" is being handled by "Al-Arabiya Cinema" in partnership with "Cairo Films."

The CEO and Chairwoman of "Arab Cinema" Company, Es'ad Younis, said: "The nights of Sahr have a very special place in my heart, not only because it was one of the important experiences in the company's journey, but because I lived its journey from the moment it was just an idea on paper until it became a film that the audience connected with and has remained present in their memory throughout these years." She added: "When we decided to return to this world after more than twenty years, what concerned me the most was that this return should have a reason and value, and that we present a new film that we love and believe in, rather than just relying on the success and nostalgia of the first film."

Younes expressed her "great" happiness at the joining of El-Shennawy to direct the film, as well as the return of screenwriter Tamer Habib to "a world he created himself 23 years ago." She confirmed that the first part of the film "Sahar Al-Layali" "has become the property of its audience for many years, and we are well aware that this love places a great responsibility on us." She added: "I do not want to ask the audience to love the second part just because they loved the first; I hope we create a film that makes them love it because it deserves that."

It is worth mentioning that the first part of the movie "Sahar Al-Layali" featured a cast of stars that would be difficult to gather in one film at this stage, as the film starred: Hanan Turk, Mona Zaki, Sherif Mounir, Ahmed Helmy, Fathi Abdel Wahab, Khaled Abu Al-Naga, Ola Ghanem, and Jihan Fadel.