Following the American Civil war, soldier William Loring and a group of American officers are recruited by the Egyptian army to lead them in arms against the Ethiopian Empire, ending in the tragic battle of Gura.
Gura is an epic historical drama, based on the true story of a group of American soldiers who traveled to Egypt in 1870, five years after the American civil war. The story centers on Colonel William Loring, a disgraced confederate soldier, who leaves behind his family in rural America in search for war and glory. He is hired among fifty American officers, union and confederate, as mercenaries to train and fight alongside the Egyptian Khedivate under the rule of Isma'il Pasha, an idealist bent on modernization and expanding into Africa by way of an Ethiopian conquest. He dreamt of building a prosperous, independent Egypt. This campaign into Ethiopia, known as the Egyptian-Ethiopian war, is the dramatic crux of the film. It was ultimately a tragic failure, and this period marks the end of Egypt's independence. Within the story of Gura, the Suez Canal is unveiled, which triggered the British Empire's interest in the country. These events paved the way for the British Empire to take over the country. By the end of the story, Egypt's stake in the Suez Canal is sold to the British Empire. These are important political backdrops, which, within the genre of the epic, will be represented effectively and dramatically. The backdrop to this story paints a picture of post-Civil war America, with the story of Gura following war torn men who have spent their lives in combat (from the Mexican war to the civil war), yearning for another shot at victory on the battlefield, and travelling to an unknown land to find it. At this time in Egypt, there were tomb raiders among archeologists, American Christian missionaries, and European nations staking their lasting interests in Egypt and the stability of the region.
a film by / un film de
Lotfy NATHAN
FILM EN DÉVELOPPEMENT (depuis 2022)
USA, Egypt, Feature Fiction, en Arabe, Historical Epic, War, Drama
2nd Feature / 2e Long métrage Fiction
INTENTION BY THE FILM DIRECTOR
As an Egyptian living in the United States, I felt a great pull to this story. Aesthetically and creatively I see incredible opportunity in crafting this story as a marriage between two worlds, and opportunity to show the foundations being laid for the colonization of the region. Gura will be like a parable, a story of tremendous scope told through the perspective of a single character, William Loring, a confederate soldier who wrote a detailed, personal account of his experience in Egypt. This account is, effectively, a ‘fish out of water' story, much like Lawrence of Arabia, which I take great inspiration for in the development of the script. I am interested in exploring this compelling (and little known) period of the first US military relation with Egypt as a means to draw direct parallels with modern time. The construction of the Suez canal was immediately followed by an imperative need by the British and the rest of Europe to protect their own interests in exploiting it. Gura is the backdrop for a pivotal period of time in which colonial interests were being set, strategized, and implemented in Egypt and throughout the region (again, much like Lawrence of Arabia, the strategy being set by the colony, behind closed doors, throughout the story will exist in Gura as well, setting the stage for the British occupation). Thematically, Gura will be a portrait of soldiers who find their purpose in life through war. Loring, our central character, lives for war having spent his entire life in the military. Gura explores the destructive path that those who are committed to war inevitably follow. Isma'il Pasha, Loring and the other American officers, are all after their own version of glory, and ultimately overrun by their own stubborn pride.
- Lotfy NATHAN
Título / Original title / Titre Original : GURA
Título Internacional (en Inglês) / International Title (English) / Titre international (Anglais) : GURA
Título (França / Bélgica) / Title (France / Belgium) / Titre (France, Belgique) : GURA
Outro título (em árabe) / Other Title (in Arabic) / Autre Titre (en arabe) : جورا
Outro título (em francês) / Other Title (in French) / Autre Titre (en français) :
Duração / Duración / Runtime / Durée : 00' (0h 00 minutes, 00:00:00)
Tipo / Type / Type : Longa-metragem de ficção / Feature Fiction / Long-métrage Fiction
Gênero / Genre : Historical Epic, War, Drama
Idioma / Languages / Langues de tournage : Inglês, Árabe / English, Arabic / Anglais, Arabe
Subtítulos / Subtitles / Sous-titres :
País de Produção / Country of Production / Pays de Production : USA, Egypt
País do Diretor / Filmmaker's Country / Pays du réalisateur :
País de filmagem / Country of Filming / Pays de tournage :
Ano de Produção / Year of production / Année de production : 2022-
Ano de lançamento / Year of Release / Année de Sortie :
Cores / Colors / Couleurs : Cor / Color / Couleur
Suporte de difusão / Media / Support de diffusion :
Formato / Aspect Ratio / Format Image :
Formato de som / Sound Mix / Format Son :
Orçamento estimado / Estimated Budget / Budget prévisionnel : $1,750,000
TAGS :
ELENCO / CAST / ACTRICES-ACTEURS
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PRODUTORA / PRODUCER / PRODUCTRICE :
DIRECTOR / REALIZAÇÃO / RÉALISATEUR :
Lotfy NATHAN
Guionista / Screenplay / Scénariste :
Lotfy Nathan
Dir. de Fotografia / Director of Photography / Directeur de la photo :
Director de Som / Sound Recordist (Sound Engineer) / Ingénieur du son :
Música / Composer (Original Music) / Musique :
Montagem / Editing / Montage :
Sound Editor / Monteur son :
Direcção de Arte / Production design / Décors :
Costumes design / Costumes :
Sound Mixing / Mixage :
Gerente de Produção / Unit production manager / Directeur de production :
Assistente Realização / Assistant Director / Assistante Réalisatrice :
Makeup artist / Maquillage :
Special makeup effects artist / Maquillage Effets Spéciaux :
Boom operator / Perchiste :
Stunts Coordinator / Cascadeur :
Assistant camera / Assistants cadreurs :
Assistant editor / Assistant monteur :
Location Manager / Régisseur :
Script supervisor / Script-Girl :
Transportation Captain / Responsable Transports :
Set photography / Photographe de plateau :
Behind the scenes footage / Tournage Making-of :
Creative director / Creative director :
Illustration / Illustrations (Générique) :
THANKS / REMERCIEMENTS :
PRODUCTION / PRODUCTION :
ICB: International Cinema Bureau, ICB - (Egypt)
CO-PRODUCTION / COPRODUCTION :
Shirley Oaks Pictures (USA)
WITH THE SUPPORT OF / AVEC LE SOUTIEN DE
Red Sea Fund
PARTNERS / PARTENAIRES
Shirley Oaks Pictures (USA);
International Cinema Bureau, ICB (Egypt)
DISTRIBUTION
VENTES / SALES
CONTACT (Print Copy / Diffusion du film, Festivals)
RELEASE / SORTIE SALLES
FESTIVALS - AWARDS / PRIX
* RED SEA PROJECT MARKET //// Red Sea International Film Festival - RSIFF 2022, Saudi Arabia | FINANCING ACQUIRED: $193,058 | https://redseafilmfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Book-of-Projects_English.pdf
Fontes / Our Source / Nos Sources (READ MORE / PLUS D'INFOS) :
- https://redseafilmfest.com/en/project-market/
- https://redseafilmfest.com/ar/project-market/
- https://redseafilmfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Book-of-Projects_English.pdf
mise à jour par Thierno DIA, 5 March 2023
