Set in 1987 against the backdrop of a hunger strike by the Egyptian film industry, Chahine himself steps in to play Yehia, the famed Egyptian director whose life is chronicled in "Alexandria, Why?" and "An Egyptian Story". Obsessed with Amr, the handsome actor he discovered and cast as his...
The biblical tale of Joseph is told from an Egyptian perspective in this interesting character study. In this film, Joseph is called Ram. Ram, tired of his family's backward superstitious life, and tired of being picked on by his brothers, wants to go to Egypt to study agriculture. His brothers...
Amid the poverty, death, and suffering caused by World War II, 18-year-old Yehia retreats into a private world of fantasy and longing. Obsessed with Hollywood, he dreams of studying filmmaking in America but struggles to pursue his dream, given the constraints of his life in the middle class and...
In the 12th century's Andalusia lives Ibn Rushd a prominent Islamic philosopher with his wife Zeinab and daughter Salma. The principality is ruled by Khalifa ElMansour who has two sons, ElNasser, an intellectual that likes Ibn Rush and is in love with his daughter Salma. The younger son Abdallah is...
Playboy Amr (Ahmed Eid) studies at the Faculty of Medicine, he lives a careless life between the use of drugs and neglect of study, and then falls in love with fellow religious veiled Farah (Bushra), and tries to woo her by pretending to be religious and then she discovers the truth.
After we last see him in "Alexandria, Why?" Egyptian filmmaker Yehia Mourad is in his thirties, and successful in his work, he has grown distant from his wife and children and suffers a symbolic blockage of the heart while shooting the final scenes of his latest film. After being flown to England...
This big-budget historical epic from acclaimed Egyptian director Youssef Chahine features a crazed turn by Patrice Chereau as Napoleon Bonaparte. The film, an Egyptian-French co-production, deals with Napoleon's occupation of Alexandria and its effect on a typical Egyptian family. Michel Piccoli...
Freed after spending years in prison, an activist's homecoming turns into a dark affair as his disillusion clashes with his family's expectations. Demonstrating Chahine’s eclecticism, this is an elegant melodrama, exuberant musical, layered allegory, and profound portrait of personal and...
Egypt, 1947: in the midst of a cholera outbreak. A washerwoman tries to take care of her family, while at the same time resisting the advances of a charming suitor who's half her age.
Youssef, a man of middle-class roots, lives in a not-so-fancy part of town. Youssef is passionate about acting and succeeds in becoming a well-known cinema figure. On a visit to his family, he bumps into a former love and thus relives a few sweet and nostalgic memories.
A hooker decides to repent after she gets married and gives birth, but when she discovers that her husband is an addict, she convinces two of her friends to steal some jewelry, but things do not go well after the apartment owner and her child were killed during the robbery. Making her accused of a...
Ever wonder what it was like to be in the middle east during the Gulf War of the early 90s? Sure, many films and TV shows have portrayed what it was like for the UN forces. This film takes you into the melee from the perspective of Egyptians -- who were sharply divided about the war -- and their...
Sina' learns of the numerous affairs her husband Shakir has had with other women. At this time, she gets to know Hashem, and they become increasingly close. Hashem learns of the dysfunctions within Sina’’s family and tries to take advantage of this for his own interests, specially after meeting...
Hatem is a corrupt police officer, who loves his neighbor Nour, who in turn loves the prosecutor, Sherif. Hatem tries to win Nour’s attention even if by force.
When Surgeon Hamza commits a mistake that leads to the death of a child, he's sentenced to jail and prevented from practicing his profession. The widow Rawia enters his isolated life after meeting her in an auction and then he meets three young teenagers who find refuge in him.
When a free-spirited sailor is found murdered, his twin brother, a famous novelist, is the prime suspect. Investigators uncover a possible liaison between the dead sailor and the writer's wife, and also learn that Sayed's successful fictions owed much to the inspiration of his brother Mahmoud's...
An employee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides to marry a girl of a higher social status. At a moment of recklessness,he sends a wedding invitation to the President, and he responds to the invitation. Preparations are under way to receive the President at the wedding awaited by everyone.
Set shortly before and during the Six Day War in June of 1967, The Sparrow follows a young police officer stationed in a small village in Upper Egypt whose inhabitants suffer from the harassment of a corrupt businessman.
