Written & Directed By

Antonious bassily

Director’s Biographies:

An Egyptian filmmaker, born and raised in Cairo. He studied pharmaceutical science, and then filmmaking. He works as a freelance director, cinematographer, and editor. Recently, he has founded a production house. He aims at making films that express the dreams and concerns of himself and his generation. He is thinking about leaving Egypt for many reasons, especially after being arrested while filming in a public place using his cell phone. He got introduced to Youssef Mekkawi in 2017 when they both worked together on his first short film, Once There Was A Boy. Youssef was the art director of this project. In 2018, Antonious asked Youssef to document his graduation project, and so he did except that he couldn’t finish it since the filming stage ended. In May 2023, he went back to revisit that film.

Directors’ Statements:

I was born and raised in Cairo, although I am originally from Tanta (one of the most popular big towns in the northern Egyptian countryside, about 80 Km away from Cairo) I used to compare my life to my cousins’ who still live in Tanta and think that I was luckier than them because there always used to be something new and exciting in Cairo. With time passing and things falling apart, I have found that Cairo is not my place. I feel I have become as small as an ant trying to escape
the numerous opportunities to be smashed every day in this city. Living in big cities is a challenge for the human soul, especially in a city like Cairo where everything can happen positively and negatively.

In this film, I follow a friend of mine who uses his imagination and colors to create a new world. Maybe it is not the real world but it helps us rethink about the real world and how it should be. His journey makes me look at my journey making films. It makes me realize that art is an ongoing story that can be reimagined in numerous ways until the last days of our lives. I am making this film to keep the invitation open to use art and imagination as a survival way of living in the stressful big cities. Let us remember that beauty exists between the tall buildings of these concrete jungles.
One of the main things that motivates me to make this film is that it is the last thing that connects me with Cairo. In other words, it is the last love letter between two lovers. It is some sort of the end. I feel that my story with Cairo has ended a long time ago.

Cairo has created in me some sort of self-censorship that controls all my life decisions. I want to get rid of it.

Cairo is home, but an oppressive one.

Cairo is a living creature but on the brink of death.

All my life goals can be summarized in the film titled, Migration to the World of Imagination.