"I'm honored to be presenting the film The Terrorist in its American premiere. I first saw the film in November 1998 while I was a member of the jury at the Cairo Film Festival. On a first viewing, I was stunned by the simplicity and elegance of its images, and by the assuredness and power of its storytelling. Shot with minimal resources, The Terrorist is a testament to the notion that all that's truly needed to make a wonderful film is a story worth telling and a poet at the helm. Santosh Sivan is surely that. In Cairo, his direction of The Terrorist gained him not only the prize for Best Director, but also the Golden Pyramid for Best Film. He also co-wrote, edited, and served as cinematographer for The Terrorist. His inventive and exacting work gives the images in The Terrorist a thrilling and terrible beauty. Most images long ago lost the power to shock, compel, or even merely to hold - his have not.

The Terrorist also received in Cairo a third major prize - that for Artistic Contribution. It was awarded to Ayesha Dharkar, the young actress who plays Malli, the leading character and terrorist in question of the film. With her hypnotic beauty, her intense watchfulness and her peerless ability to believe, she is the heart and soul of The Terrorist. With a taut and compelling screenplay, an exemplary cast, and a director of seemingly unlimited potential, The Terrorist is one of the most memorable films I've seen in years."

JOHN MALKOVICH