Dr. Ahmed Abu Al-Wafa: Art is very influential, and "Strawberry War" made it clear to us that feeling bored is dangerous.
Concept Team
A short while ago, a live podcast about cinema and psychology took place, discussing "Strawberry War" and how it reflects on overcoming grief, with Dr. Ahmed Abu Al-Wafa, a psychologist, as an activity for the first day of Midfest - Egypt Forum.
Dr. Abu Al-Wafa said that art's influence is greater and quicker because it is not restricted; after all, science comes afterward. He spoke about the concept of boredom, which people deal with as if it is a feeling that will pass, but in fact, it is the opposite. When we talk about the movie "Strawberry War", it becomes clear to us how this feeling of boredom is very dangerous.
Abu Al-Wafa added that in the movie "Strawberry War," the character Sami Al-Adl was searching for happiness all the time because he felt existential boredom by using the character of the traveling salesman Mahmoud Hamida. The idea of boredom made them enter into new and different experiences. The character of Sami Al-Adl chose to be bored, rather than sad, about losing an important relationship, which was his son, and finally decided to start a new relationship to get over this state of being bored.
He added that the most bored people are the most creative, and money might come from regularity in routine or the effect of time on people or people's high expectations that are not met. Thus, more often than not, boredom is a substitute for other emotions.
Worth mentioning is that Midfest-Egypt Forum was the first in the Middle East and North Africa and was established in 2017. The festival debates the point of contact between cinema and health, using movies as an instrument and a channel of sensitization on health issues of high importance.
The festival will take place from September 12 to 15 at the American University in Downtown Cairo in Tahrir Square.
It brings together film amateurs, filmmakers, and doctors within one forum. It aims to share human stories with the public, students, artists, filmmakers, and doctors, especially psychiatrists, through different workshops, discussion panels, and film screenings that work towards discussing socially unacceptable topics by laying the foundations for a more acceptable approach for the general public throughout Egypt and the world.
