Deborah Starr, Associate Professor of Modern Arabic and Hebrew Literature and Film in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University, will present a screening of the Egyptian film, Layla the Schoolgirl.
Yusuf, a writer, lives in seclusion until his young cousin Layla comes to live with him. Layla reintroduces Yusuf to society, and he promptly falls in love. This movie has it all: Music! Comedy! A Love triangle! Cocktail parties! Come see 1940s bourgeois Cairo in all its elegance. The director, Togo Mizrahi, and the star, Layla Murad, were both Jews. Deborah Starr will provide a brief introduction about Jewish involvement in the Egyptian film industry, and will lead a discussion following the screening.
