During a cocktail party in Cairo one evening, lovely Warda falls for an African diplomat who promptly leaves her pregnant. Her mother, learning the news, forces her to marry a rich, old Egyptian to "save the family honour". Fortunately, the child is born white, only his blond hair belies a genetic joke. In memory of her fugitive lover, Warda names the child Noubi who, after a wild and idealistic childhood (he wants to bequeath his fortune to the Egyptian Left !), is locked up in a psychiatric hospital. When he is released, Noubi returns to his now widowed mother who lives with a very simplistic notion of society : "There are two kinds of people : those who have a Mercedes and those who dream of having one". Later, an inspector asks Noubi to find Gamal, his alleged cousin, a homosexual who works as a painter and leads a delinquent's existence. Noubi learns that Gamal is in fact his own brother. Noubi then meets lovely Afifa and falls in love with her, because she is the spitting image of his mother !...

Director Yousry Nasrallah satirizes Egyptian social and political tensions in this lively comedy.
With his blonde hair and communist beliefs, Noubi (Zaki Fateen) stands out from his fellow countrymen. Rejecting the trappings of his wealthy materialistic family including the ultra-luxury Egyptian status symbol - a Mercedes Benz, he creates chaos with his plan to donate his inheritance to the communist party. When his gay brother disappears, Noubi's search takes him on an adventure filled with belly dancers, soccer fanatics and Muslim fundamentalists.


estrelado / starring / avec :
Yousra, Zaki Fateen Abdel Wahab (Zaki Abdel Wahab), Seif Abdel Rahman, Abla Kamel, Menha El Batrawy, Ahmed Samy Abdallah, Mona Zakareya, Magdy Kamel, Bassem Samra, Talaat Zein, Tamim Abdo, Taheya Karioka (Taheya Carioca), Seif Eddine

um filme de / a film by / un film de
Yousry NASRALLAH

Egypt, France | 1993, Fiction, 1h48 (108 min), colour - 35 mm


"Superstylized! Nasrallah creates an ironic, campy and complex yarn." - Howard Feinstein, The Independent Film & Video Monthly

Release Date: 1993
Type: Featured
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Subtitles: English, French
Type: Feature Film
Language: Arabic with English Subtitles

Produced by | Produit par : Gabriel Khoury, Humbert Balsan

REGISSEUR / REALIZADOR / DIRECTOR / RÉALISATEUR :
Yousry NASRALLAH

Screenplay | Scénario : Yousry Nasrallah
Cinematography | Images : Ramses Marzouk
Sound | Son : Gasser Gabr
Music | Musique : Mohamed Noah
Editing | Montage : Rachida Abdel Salam
Production Design | Décors : Onsy Abou Seif
Costume design | Costumes : Nahed Nasrallah

PRODUÇÃO / PRODUCTION / PRODUCTION
Misr International Films
Onion Films
Arte France cinéma

DISTRIBUÇÃO / DISTRIBUTION / DISTRIBUTION
AFD (Arab Film Distribution)


1995 | FESPACO | OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso | www.fespaco.bf
* Prix d'interprétation féminine
* Prix d'interprétation masculine


Rental Information
This film is available from AFD for public screenings and television broadcast. For information regarding rental rates and formats, please contact institutions@arabfilm.com for institutional/non-theatrical screenings, or festivals@arabfilm.com for theatrical, festival, television, or other bookings.


Fontes / Our Source / Quelle / Nos Sources (MAIS INFORMAÇÕES / READ MORE / PLUS D'INFOS) :
- Africiné Magazine
- https://misrinternationalfilms.com/media_content/mercedes
- www.arabfilm.com/item/96/
Updated by Thierno DIA, 30 Dec 2024