Thebes Stage - Hall 12
The session hosts the renowned writer Ibrahim Abdel Meguid and the screenwriter Dr Medhat El Adl to discuss the adaptation of the novel "Thresholds of Joy" into a television series, which was aired last Ramadan and starred the famous actor Yahya Al Fakharani.
The session will delve into the craft of television drama production and the translation of literary ideas into engaging works for the audience.
Additionally, it will explore the adjustments made by the screenwriter during the adaptation process, such as condensing events or introducing new elements to enhance the appeal of the screenplay, as well as modifying characters or scenes to better suit television production.
The session will also examine the author's perspective on such transformations and how they reflect the original literary text.
Ibrahim Abdel Meguid is an Egyptian writer and novelist. He wrote the novel "Thresholds of Joy," which was published in 2005 and was adapted into a dramatic work with the same title as part of the Ramadan 2024 series, starring Yehia El Fakharany and directed by Magdy Abu Emeira.
He wrote the "Alexandria Trilogy" ("No One Sleeps in Alexandria", "Birds of Amber", and "Clouds Over Alexandria"). He also published several novels, some of which were translated several foreign languages, such as "The Night of Love and Blood", "The House of Jasmine", and "The Other Place", as well as "Every Week There Is a Friday", "Adagio", and others. He also writes for a variety of Egyptian and Arab newspapers, including Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar, Youm7, Al-Hilal, Alquds Alarabi, and other Arab magazines and newspapers.
He was born in Alexandria in 1964, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the Faculty of Arts at Alexandria University in 1973, and currently serves as the Folk Atlas Project's General Manager. After graduation, he relocated to Cairo and worked at the Ministry of Culture as a cultural specialist in popular culture, a consultant in the Theatre Department in popular culture, an advisor in the Writers Authority, general director of the General Culture Department in popular culture, and editor-in-chief of a new series of writings for the Egyptian General Book Authority.
Ibrahim Abdel Meguid has received numerous awards, including the Nile Prize in 2022, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Literature category (for his book "Beyond Writing: My Experience with Creativity") in 2016, and the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel in the Published Novels category (for his novel "Adagio" in 2015), as well as the State Award for Excellence in Literature from the Supreme Council of Culture in 2007 and the Naguib Mahfouz Medal (for his novel “The Other Place”) in 1996.
Dr. Medhat El Adl is an Egyptian writer, poet, producer, and doctor. He recently produced the Ramadan 2024 series "Thresholds of Joy", which was based on the novel by the great writer Ibrahim Abdel Meguid, starred Yehia El Fakharany and directed by Magdy Abu Emeira. He founded the Egyptian production company "El Adl Group" in 1997 with his 2 brothers, Mohamed El Adl and the late artist Sami El Adl.
Dr. Medhat El Adl began writing poems at a young age. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1981 and worked in paediatrics for a few years before dedicating himself entirely to the arts field. He began composing songs and wrote several for some of the most well-known singers, including Mohamed El Helw, Amr Diab, Mohamed Mounir, Samira Said, Mohamed Fouad, Medhat Saleh, and others. "Platform No. 5", "Shubra Misr", and "Chaos of Feelings" are 3 collections of his poetry and song lyrics.
Dr. El Adl wrote the screenplay and dialogue for a number of successful Egyptian cinematic films, beginning with "Ice Cream in Gleem," which El Adl describes as "the documented testimony" of the 1990s in Cairo and Alexandria, and continuing with "Sa'eedi in the American University", "Hammam in Amsterdam", "Short w Fanelah w Cap", "Mafia", "The Dealer", "3 El Zero", and others.
This is in addition to a number of television series, the most important of which are "Mahmoud El Masry", "Al Andaleeb: Hikayt Sha’ab", "The Jewish Quarter", "Foq Mostawa El Shobohat", "Le Aa'la Se'r", and "Al Hisab Yejma", "Omla Nadra", and others, the most recent of which was the series "Thresholds of Joy".
Dr. El Adl praised the musical "Coco Chanel", which was performed by Sherihan, as well as the musical "Charlie", which tells the life story of the famous English comedian "Charlie Chaplin".
He received several honours, including recognition from the Egyptian Opera House at the Arab Music Festival's 30th edition.
Mona Salman is an Egyptian media professional who hosts the programme “Cairo Studio” on the “Russia Today” channel. She began her professional career immediately after graduating from the Faculty of Mass Media, by competing in a major competition by the Egyptian Radio in 1996. She had begun as a broadcaster and presenter at the Middle East Radio before she moved to the Egyptian Specialised Channels Network, where she was the first broadcaster to appear on the "Nile Drama" screen. She later moved to the "Nile Cultural" channel, where she hosted a variety of programmes, including “Al Muntada” (The Forum), "Al Wajh Al Akhar Lil Tarikh" (The Other Face of History), and "Qamar Al Neel" (The Nile Moon).
Salman joined Al Jazeera in 2005 through a competition held by the channel in Cairo, and she worked there for over 8 years, presenting a variety of programmes, including "Hadith Al Sabah" (Morning Talk), "Mubashir Ma’a” (Live with), and "Minbar Al Jazeera" (Al Jazeera Platform).
Because she disagreed with the editorial policy of her programmes, Mona Salman left Al Jazeera and joined the "Dream" channel, where she presented the "Misr Fi Yawm” (Egypt in a Day) programme for a year and a half, before moving to the "Alassema" TV to present the "451 Fahrenheit" programme, after which her career ended prematurely.
Mona Salman returned to television in 2023, hosting the "Cairo Studio" programme on the "Russia Today" channel to commemorate the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Russia. In the programme, she interviews a number of figures involved in important regional issues.