Khaberni - Mohamed Sobhi, during the launching ceremony of the second edition of the "Stars of the Golden Age of Drama" gathering, attended by a host of stars, critics, and media figures, delivered scathing criticism of the current drama scene following the Ramadan drama season. He pointed out that relying on trends to highlight success is inappropriate for high art, and criticized the absence of the drama series title sequence replaced by AI.
Sobhi said in his speech at the ceremony that the art scene today is in a state of "absence and making absent," adding: "There are those who are absent.. and those who are made absent, both of which have no real impact, despite their presence."
Sobhi discussed a number of complex issues, including the disappearance of the drama series title sequence, noting that artificial intelligence technologies have contributed to its loss of artistic value, after it was an essential element that carried the spirit and identity of the work.
He emphasized that art in its essence is a message, warning against it turning into a mere exploitative tool, pointing out that the art scene is suffering from a decline in meaning and identity.
Mohamed Sobhi: There must be a separation between personal and artistic life in biographies
Sobhi stressed the importance of separating art from the private life of artists, saying: "There should not be a personal biography of the artist, but rather an artistic one only, that highlights his history and creativity, without delving into his personal details," asserting his rejection of tracking the private lives of artists or exploiting them media-wise.
Sobhi openly criticized the spread of acting and writing workshops, considering them contributors to weakening the quality of art, along with the influence of some producers monopolizing the market, which has led to the absence of artistic fairness and a decline in creative opportunities.
He added that relying on "trends" as a measure of success, along with focusing on the personal lives of artists, does not befit high art and does not reflect its true value.
Sobhi noted that what the artistic community is witnessing is part of a bigger problem, saying: "What the Arab world is experiencing is an attempt to destroy minds, and this imposes a doubled role on art in protecting consciousness."
He also emphasized that addressing negative issues in drama should be done in a critical framework aimed at confronting them, not perpetuating them, stressing that art, culture, media, and education must form a single system to build the human being.
The ceremony included honoring a number of icons of Egyptian drama, among them: the late writer Osama Anwar Okasha, and directors: Mohamed Fadel, Ismail Abdel Hafez, Magdy Abu Emira, and actresses Fardous Abdel Hamid, Fadia Abdel Ghani, Tesseer Fahmi, alongside several art and media makers.
Recently, the prominent artist Mohamed Sobhi surprised attendees at the opening ceremony of the Arab Theater Festival, hosted by the Arab Theater Authority under the chairmanship of writer Ismail Abdullah, in its sixteenth session, during his recognition at the festival events, with a spontaneous dance after receiving the honor shield from the Egyptian Minister of Culture, shortly after he was awarded the Medal of Distinction from the "Arab Creatives Union".
