Walid Toufic’s life story is set to become a film.
Walid Toufic confirmed his once stalled biopic is back on the cards.
Speaking yesterday from the Mawazine Festival in the Moroccan capital Rabat, the event headliner said he was once again in discussion in bringing his story to the big screen.
He blames the Arab Spring for delaying the project, first announced three years ago.
“As you know, the situation in Egypt was not conducive in doing this kind of project,” he said.
“Even Beirut wasn't in a good state to relocate the film but now things are slowly getting better and I would love to get this film out there by early next year.”
The veteran singer, with hits including Ehna Al Tayibin and Sanin Ahabab, also admitted to being late when it comes to social networking.
With a career spanning nearly four decades, Toufic said he wasn't concerned with such modern developments and preferred to reach out to his fans the old fashioned way through the stage.
The change of mind occurred three months ago after constant prodding by his management team.
“So now we have been have a Facebook and Twitter site,” he said.
“We had a very good response to both sites so lets see what happens.”
Toufic stated he was enjoying the direct banter between fans and followers.
“At least I know these people online are real,” he laughed.
“Some say hello and others swear at me."
Stay tuned to Scene and Heard for all the festival action from Mawazine. Check out Arts and Life soon for an interview with Walid Toufic.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
