Three Documentaries on Ancient Egypt Selected for Noble Film Festival

Three documentaries about Ancient Egypt, all created by South African filmmaker and Egyptologist Curtis Ryan Woodside, have been officially selected for the Noble International Film Festival and Awards, a five-month long virtual festival based in India.

The films cover a wide berth of Ancient Egyptian mysteries. 'Egyptian Secrets at the Vatican', Woodside's most recent feature, explores the stories of Egyptian artefacts that have been collected by the Catholic Church. 'Ancient Egyptian Family Feud' uncovers the fate of a female pharaoh and the final days of the Ramesside family, featuring newly uncovered facts that had never been in a documentary before. Finally, 'Nefertari: The Life of an Egyptian Queen' puts together the tales behind a queen so beautiful that her husband built a temple for her.

"I was always interested in history as I was growing up in South Africa, but the beauty of Egypt always captured my heart," Woodside tells #CairoScene. "When I was six years old I would watch people like Zahi Hawass and Salima Ikram on TV and say, 'I want to be like them!' I love to show people how incredible Egypt was and is. I think what drives me the most is telling stories to people who don't know them yet."

Each of the films that had been selected for the festival held special meaning for Woodside. To unveil the secrets of the Ramesside family with 'Ancient Egyptian Family Feud' had been a privilege, and to share the mysteries of 'Egyptian Secrets at the Vatican' - what Woodside describes as his most successful documentary yet - allowed him to bring a new perspective to the public.

"The Nefertari documentary is very special to me," Woodside shares. "Many Egyptologists that I look up to agreed to take part, such as Salima. To share Nefertari's story and make her 'live' again was a great pleasure. The wife of Ramses II always stole my attention, not just for her beauty but because of what she did for her husband and her country."

All three of these films are available for free viewing on Woodside's YouTube channel, a venture that he described as extending his passion to people around the world, and one that coincided with the goals of the Noble Film Festival, which encourages the public to watch educational films like these on their free 'ANT' app. "Having these films online on venues like YouTube can be scary, as there is a lot of misinformation out there," Woodside says. "As a filmmaker and Egyptologist, I always strive to tell the story as factually as I can, and consult with very accomplished Egyptologists while making these films. I think it's all down to the integrity of the filmmaker to convey the correct message to the world."