2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Cairokee, Egypt’s most loved rock band, tells the untold story of the “Guardian of Feathers”. In this heartfelt animated song, the band members morph into their childhood selves, joining a forgotten ritual that took place in 1800s Egypt. The film starts with Cairokee’s lead singer Amir telling the story of the magical journey where parents took their children from every corner in Egypt to the shrine of a mystic named “Sidi Abulrish” or “Guardian of Feathers”, to perform a ritual like no other where the child wears a feather crown and sits backwards on a donkey circling the shrine of “Guardian of Feathers” to commemorate the child’s survival past the age of five. We end the film on Amir wondering whether it was divine intervention that Egypt’s most important children’s hospital, “Abulrish” was built on the exact same spot where this ritual took place, and making a call for donations.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

The month of Ramadan in Egypt is filled with commercials of charitable entities, since this is the time of the year when Egyptian Muslims pay their “Zakat” - a yearly donation to help those in need. While the norm is to play on guilt and rely on emotional blackmail, we decided to revert to the magic of beautiful storytelling, positivity and entertainment. Abulrish “Guardian of Feathers” is one of those names in life that are phonetically heard without ever questioning the meaning or origin of the name. It became a mere sound without essence. The magical story behind the name had to be told to give the hospital the iconic stature it deserves, to make it top of mind in order to keep the donations flowing and continue saving the lives of thousands of underprivileged Egyptian children every year.

Tell the jury about the creation of the original music track.

We started by asking ourselves, can we create a timeless piece of music that tells a sad story that's a hundred years old, yet stir positive emotions and be inspiring and magical? The beginning were lyrics that painted beautiful images of a journey coupled with an iconic feel-good whistle reminiscent of uplifting road movies where the hero goes through a beautiful coming-of-age transformation. The mystery created by the simple notes of the keyboard set the stage for a never before told grim story narrated by the iconic voice of Cairokee's Amir Eid. His whistle seamlessly transformed the music track turning it into a celebration of life together with the simple riffs of the acoustic guitar followed by the comforting tunes of the accordion and the mystery was completely resolved by the famous beats of the iconic Egyptian tabla.