177:, a well-known mammoth-sized government building that is a center of bureaucratic work. Adel Imam's character, Ahmed, queues up at the Mogamma one day to try to get a school transfer for his children, but gets bogged down. Endless lines of citizens march through the building and up and down its iconic spiral staircases seeking help. One government worker frustrates Ahmed particularly, because he is constantly praying in a show of alleged piousness to avoid getting any work done. This leads to a scuffle between the two, and eventually Ahmed ends up with a rifle from a guard and shots are fired in the resulting confusion. A mass spontaneous evacuation of the building ensues, Ahmed inadvertently takes the building hostage, and subsequently is assumed to be a terrorist. He is joined in his "takeover" by a few other "misfits," including Hind, a prostitute played by
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As the film draws to a close, Ahmed orders the "hostages" to leave the building, and he will wait behind to meet up with the military police now ready to swarm the building, assuming he will be killed. The crowd, however, insists that he leave with them. Ahmed walks out unnoticed among his former
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The film has been described as a "classic
Egyptian comedy about government corruption, bumbling and the good hearted nature of the sha'ab (people) of Egypt." The film was a great success, and has even been cited as the most popular Egyptian film of all time. A 2007 poll of Egyptian critics taken by
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for all the hostages, as meat is too expensive for most
Egyptians. Writer Wahid Hamed has described the symbolic meaning of the demand: "People don't know what they want ... They are crushed, their dreams are impossible, they can't believe their demands can be fulfilled, so they ask for kebab."
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520:"Final Screening of the Middle East Film Series, Terrorism and Kebab (Irhab wa Kebab), Egypt"
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newspaper listed the film as No. 15 on the 15 best
Egyptian films of all time.
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262:"Cairo Journal; That's Entertainment. But Is It Blasphemy, Too?"
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554:"Actors, writers fighting tide of fundamentalism in Egypt"
188:, who fears the building will be blown up, and he demands
197:"hostages", and the commandos find the building empty.
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184:Ahmed and his new compatriots negotiate with the
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452:"Sherif Arafa: Movies on the way home"
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291:Eltahawy, Mona (13 September 2005).
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169:The action primarily takes place at
488:"What Egyptian cinema can teach us"
165:The Mogamma on Tahrir Square, Cairo
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552:Bronner, Ethan (31 January 1993).
260:Hedges, Chris (18 November 1992).
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527:Center for Middle Eastern Studies
486:Sardar, Ziauddin (2 April 2007).
324:Gauch, Sarah (2 September 1992).
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726:Films about terrorism in Africa
419:"Red tape mecca on its way out"
354:"Woe Awaits in Tower of Babble"
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589:"The best of Egyptian cinema"
387:"Wahid Hamed: Time and again"
331:The Christian Science Monitor
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450:Atia, Tarek (29 July 1999).
326:"Egypt's Media Target Islam"
293:"The Real Surprise in Egypt"
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716:Egyptian black comedy films
711:1990s Arabic-language films
352:Murphy, Kim (24 May 1993).
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721:1992 black comedy films
559:The Dallas Morning News
236:as Minister of Interior
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67:Moody Elemam ( Elimam )
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731:1990s Egyptian films
186:Minister of Interior
139:) is a popular 1992
566:on October 24, 2012
424:The Washington Post
366:on November 4, 2012
124:Terrorism and Kebab
22:Terrorism and Kebab
706:Films set in Egypt
632:Al-irhab wal kabab
621:Al-irhab wal kabab
525:Harvard University
500:on October 7, 2008
267:The New York Times
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137:Al-irhab wal kabab
135:, transliterated:
16:1992 Egyptian film
359:Los Angeles Times
305:on April 27, 2006
234:Kamal el-Shennawi
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133:الإرهاب والكباب
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597:. 12 July 2007
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144:black comedy
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96:Running time
73:Release date
40:Sherif Arafa
240:Ahmed Rateb
171:the Mogamma
100:105 minutes
49:Wahid Hamed
36:Directed by
701:1992 films
695:Categories
247:References
242:as Shalabi
46:Written by
222:Adel Emam
201:Reception
151:Adel Emam
149:starring
58:Adel Emam
457:Al-Ahram
392:Al-Ahram
224:as Ahmed
209:Al-Ahram
141:Egyptian
113:Language
64:Music by
54:Starring
645:Portals
337:May 28,
273:May 28,
230:as Hind
105:Country
82: (
638:Amazon
228:Yousra
179:Yousra
129:Arabic
116:Arabic
683:1990s
659:Egypt
190:kebab
175:Cairo
108:Egypt
671:Film
626:IMDb
603:2010
572:2010
539:2010
506:2010
470:2010
433:2010
405:2010
372:2010
339:2023
311:2010
275:2023
216:Cast
157:Plot
147:film
84:1992
80:1992
636:at
634:DVD
624:at
173:in
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