After being honored at the fifth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival with the Creative Achievement Award, Egyptian actor Ahmad El Sakka found himself in a predicament. His improvised speech during the ceremony sparked widespread controversy, as he took to the stage and informed everyone that he had not prepared a speech for the occasion and decided to improvise. He discussed the state of Egyptian cinema following the 1967 setback until the late 1990s when films like "Ismailia Rayeh Jay" and "Saeedi fi al-Jame'a al-Amrikiya" were released, deeming the cinema during that period as limited. The artist used an Egyptian expression, saying, "Khal'a Diq" (which translates to "it was narrow"), a comment that many filmmakers perceived as belittling the significance of films produced during that substantial period.
### Apology and Clarification
Following the uproar, El Sakka took the opportunity to clarify his point of view in a press conference held on Friday afternoon in conjunction with his honor at the festival. He emphasized that he does not dare to diminish the works produced in the past, explaining that he was referring to the lack of available techniques and screening venues, which led to films not receiving their due exposure, causing the industry to feel stifled, according to him. He added in the Egyptian dialect: "If someone misunderstood, I apologize," effectively resolving the controversy with his remarks.
### Upcoming Projects
El Sakka revealed his new project with international star Jean-Claude Van Damme, confirming that the collaboration has been completely frozen, without him knowing the reason, as they were supposed to make a film together. Regarding his appearance in the upcoming Ramadan season, he announced his participation in the third part of the series "El Ekhtiyar" alongside stars Karim Abdel Aziz and Ahmed Ezz. Moreover, the Egyptian actor disclosed that he underwent treatment after the series "Nesl El Aghrab," which aired last Ramadan, following an injury to his fourth nerve.
