LIVING WITH THE PAST—HISTORIC CAIRO: Cities & Architecture / Grand Illusion Cinema October 20, 2006

Special admission: $5 regular, $4 senior/student, $2.50 member

DAILY: 730pm & 9pm | SAT & SUN: 430pm & 6pm
Dir: Maysoon Pachachi / 2001 / Color, video / 56 min.

Cairo is one of the few medieval cities in the world that remains relatively intact. Living With The Past is a filmic portrait of Darb al-Ahmar, a neighborhood in the heart of the old city now facing a process of radical change.

The film follows several restoration projects in progress in Darb al-Ahmar, including: the Great Gate of Bab Zuwayla (1092 AD), the Mosque of Emir Qijmas al-Ishaqi (1481 AD), the Church of the Virgin (600 AD) & the Walls of Saladin (11th & 12th centuries AD). These projects have been incorporated into a mammoth social, cultural and economic improvement scheme.

Across the globe monument preservation often means that people are displaced, and surrounding neighborhoods are demolished. Not so in Cairo, where efforts are underway to not only rescue endangered monuments but to improve the standard of living of the affected communities.