صورة 1

On the International Day to Combat… How did art fight cancer and show the suffering of its victims?

On February 4th of every year, the whole world celebrates World Cancer Day. It is the day that unites the world’s population to fight this insidious disease. This day is also an excellent opportunity to provide support to those affected. As well as mobilizing the support of governments, competent organizations and community members to raise awareness of cancer, and to correct misconceptions, and common myths about it.

Television and film works have always dealt with all issues of society and its reality, including the affliction of many people with cancer, so it has dealt with this disease in more than one way. Despite the scarcity of works that deal with this insidious disease and the suffering of its sufferers in Egyptian cinema and drama, unlike their American counterparts, we had to review these works with you on the World Cancer Day, in appreciation of the efforts of their makers in raising awareness about how to deal with the disease And offer a dose of hope to cancer patients. The following are the most prominent artworks whose heroes embodied the suffering of a cancer patient.

“You are my life” Film

The film presented an important message to all cancer patients, through the character of the hero who was able to transform the ordeal of his illness into a new hope in life, by getting out of the bad psychological state he is going through, to another condition that helps him in treatment of the disease .

The film revolves around a young engineer named “Youssef”, who lives a happy and stable life with his wife and 6-year-old son. One day he discovers that he has leukemia, so he refuses to open up to his family so as not to torment them with his illness and death, so he deludes them that he is traveling abroad and has completely disappeared, and goes to live alone in preparation for death after feeling reluctance to seek treatment. Until he meets Shams, a ballerina who suffers from the same disease, whose lover abandoned her as soon as he learned of her illness. Youssef and Shams fall in love and continue their healing journey together. Their health condition improves after the pain united their hearts, and love encouraged them to increase their desire to be healed.

Hind discovers the truth about her husband’s absence and the reality of his illness, so she goes to the hospital where he receives treatment, and there she discovers his relationship with “Shams”, who promised her to stay away from “Youssef”, which led to the poor health of both of them. The doctor had to tell Hind that Shams should be present in Yusuf’s life and preserve their love, because it was the only way for them to respond to treatment. Hind sacrifices for their survival. However, “Shams” refuses to continue her relationship with “Youssef” and assured him that they will not abandon their love, but that it will remain in their hearts only.

The film starring Hani Salama, Nelly Karim, Menna Shalaby and Hisham Selim, written by Mohamed Refaat, directed by Khaled Youssef, and produced in 2005.

1000 Mabrouk Film

The film highlighted glimpses of the life of a cancer patient, and the severe pain he is exposed to, which drives him to obtain palliative drugs to overcome the pain stage. It reviews the risks and inconveniences the patient goes through in order to obtain the drug, which is usually listed among the prohibited drugs. The film also highlighted an important issue, which is providing support to the patient .

The events of the film revolve around “Ahmed Galal”, a selfish, arrogant young man who is preparing for his wedding the next day. Ahmed wakes up in the morning, and during his day goes through a series of events that end with his death after being hit by a large truck. To wake up and discover that all the previous events were a nightmare. However, he is surprised by the repetition of the events of his day exactly as he saw them in the dream, and it also ends with his death. To wake up again to the same nightmare, repeat the day, and come to the same end. And the matter continues in this way, so that “Ahmed” discovers every day new information about his family members and friends, which helps him to get closer to them and understand their behavior and point of view. Among what he saw in his recurring nightmare was that his mother went to a dealer to buy prohibited drugs, and she and the dealer were arrested, so Ahmed thought that his mother was a drug addict. But then he discovers that she has cancer, and she takes anesthetic injections as a strong painkiller. She refuses treatment for fear of chemotherapy, which will cause her hair to fall out. Ahmed sympathizes with his mother and shaves his hair before going to his wedding, to convince her to receive treatment.

The film starring Ahmed Helmy, Sarah Abdel Rahman, Mahmoud El-Fishawy, Laila Ezz El-Arab and Mohamed Farraj, written by Mohamed Diab, and directed by Ahmed Nader Galal. It was produced in 2009.

Regatta movie

Within its events, the film touched on the suffering of a woman with cancer, who appeared during the events without hair, as she was undergoing chemotherapy sessions.

The film tells the story of the young Reda Al-Toukhi, known as “Regatta”, who engages in illegal activities in order to collect money and travel with his mother, Sabah, who is diagnosed with cancer, to Italy. Regatta accidentally kills his brother and runs away. Sabah claims that she is the reason for her son’s death, only to be arrested. Unconvinced that Sabah is the real culprit, the officer starts chasing Regatta, who attacked the lorry and smuggled his mother. Regatta is arrested after being implicated in several murders. When the police go to arrest Sabah, they find her dead.

The film stars Amr Saad, Elham Shaheen, Mahmoud Hamida, Fathi Abdel Wahab, Rania Youssef, Ahmed Malik and Walid Fawaz, written by Mohamed Sami and Moataz Fatiha, and directed by Mohamed Sami. It was produced in 2015.

The sweetness of the living series

The series highlights cancer patients’ fight against this malignant tumor, and how to overcome that painful experience, which changes the patients’ view of everything that goes on around them.

The events revolve around the character of “Amina” who discovers that she has leukemia shortly before her wedding. Which makes her reconsider her relationship with those around her, and changes everything she arranged for him. Especially after her fiancé left her, and she faced some problems with her sister. The events continue until “Amina” meets the businessman “Salim” who has a cancerous tumor in the brain, and they develop a love relationship that ends in marriage, and together they face the disease and conquer it. During the events, the strength of “Amina”‘s character appears, as she did not wait for her hair to fall out while she was undergoing chemotherapy, but in one of the scenes, she shaved her hair herself.

The series stars Hend Sabry, Dhafer El Abidine, Hanan Mutawa, Anushka, Hani Adel, Rajaa Al-Jeddawi, Ahmed Hatem, Salma Abu Deif and Yasmine Ghaith, written by Tamer Habib and Engy Qassem, and directed by Hussein Al-Manbawi. It was produced in 2017.

Journey series

The series monitors the state of shock that a cancer patient feels when he discovers that he has the disease. And how could that turn his life upside down.

The main theme of the series revolves around the idea of fate, and the conditions and crises that humans are exposed to. Where 6 personalities meet on a flight on a plane from Lebanon to Cairo. During the events, we follow the story of Karima, who makes a decision to undergo a plastic surgery, but discovers that she has cancer during medical examinations before the operation, and finds that she is in the late stages of the disease, and her life is turned upside down. Karima begins the treatment phase and struggles with the disease, and the episodes highlight the developments of the disease and the severe pain that the heroine suffers from during the stages of the disease, which is represented by dizziness and fatigue, as well as hair loss.

The series starring Hanan Mutawa, Basil Al-Khayat, Mai Selim, Reham Abdel Ghafour, Walid Fawaz, Ihab Fahmy, Mohamed Mahran and Amira Al-Aydi, the story of Nour Shishakli, the script and dialogue by Amr Al-Dali and Ahmed Wael, and directed by Hossam Ali. It was produced in 2018.

light black series

The series presented a message of support for cancer patients with the aim of relieving them, stressing the importance of the patient receiving moral support from the people around him, which greatly contributes to recovery from the disease.

The series tells the story of a wealthy businesswoman who is betrayed and betrayed by some of the people close to her. She suddenly loses her luxurious life, after being arrested, and unjustly accused of causing poisoning of school children, and she is imprisoned. After proving her innocence and leaving, she tries to regain her former life, and decides to take revenge on those who destroyed her life. During the events, we meet the young girl “Aya Salah al-Din” who suffers from brain cancer, and who suffers from her husband’s preoccupation with his work and his neglect of her. She battles cancer alone, until she ends up losing her battle against the disease and her death.

The series stars Haifa Wehbe, Ahmed Fahmy, Rogina, Sherif Salama, Omar Al-Saeed, Rania Mansour, Firas Saeed and Sabri Fawaz, written by Amin Gamal, and directed by Karim El-Adl. It was produced in 2020.

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In memory of the actress Koka Who is the Abla of Egyptian Cinema?

On January 29, the death anniversary of the artist Coca, who is considered the first Egyptian artist to reach the world, will pass. Foreign newspapers called her the “African Princess”. While the audience and critics called her “The Egyptian Cinema Abla”, she is the most famous person who presented the character of “Abla” in films. She also mastered the representation of the Bedouin girl in most of her films, so many thought that she was of Bedouin origin. On the anniversary of her death, in the following lines, we have gathered for you the most prominent information about the beautiful artist Coca.

Her birth and upbringing

Her real name is Nagia Ibrahim Bilal, and she was born on March 7, 1917 in Cairo Governorate. He has a Sudanese father who works as an officer, and a mother a housewife from rural Egypt. Her father took care of her education, and she mastered both English and French. He would also take her to cinemas to watch Arabic and English films and cartoons. She fell in love with art since she was young, and she dreamed of working in the field of acting, and she tried to enter this field when she met a colleague at school, who was older than her and worked in the “Ramses” band, which was founded by artist Youssef Wehbe. Koca asked her colleague to work with them in the band, and indeed she took her to meet Youssef Wehbe, who found her young, as she was not more than seventeen years old, so he refused to work with him so that he would not be subject to legal accountability, and promised her to work in the band when she got older.

Early Works

Coca’s artistic beginning was not as an actress, as she started her artistic career by working in Studio Masr as an assistant editor in the montage department with director Niazi Mustafa, before she turned twenty. Until 1935, Coca got a chance to star in comedy Ali al-Kassar in the movie “The Gatekeeper of Architecture”, in which she played the role of a foreign girl. Coca caught her eye from the very first glance, not only with her attractive features, but also with her command of the English language, so many believed that she was a foreign girl. Then Coca appeared in a small scene from the movie “Wedad” in front of the eastern planet Umm Kulthum, and that was in 1936. In the same year, she played the role of the black American singer Josephine Baker in the comedy play “The Box of the World”, which was her true ticket to reach the world.

The first Egyptian artist to reach the world

While presenting the play “The Box of the World” one day, the famous English director Thorinot Freeland watched her and admired her acting, so he assigned her the starring role in front of the international star Paul Robinson, in the famous English movie “Jerico” or “The Salt Merchant” in 1937. In order to ensure the success of his film, the director promoted the film by presenting Coca as a Sudanese princess who loves art, and ran away from her family because they did not agree to her work in the field of acting. He even wrote her name on the movie poster with the phrase “African Princess”. The film was a resounding success worldwide. Thus, she became the first Egyptian artist to reach the world. After that, Coca starred in another American movie called “Black Sands”, which achieved huge success as its predecessor, after which many shows in world cinema followed. However, Coca refused to continue presenting foreign films, as it required her to reside outside Egypt for long periods, which Coca refused to do so as not to move away from her husband.

After the success of her foreign films, Coca’s fame increased dramatically in Egypt and the Arab world. Film makers began showing her many works of art, but she chose only a few of them. She learned the Bedouin dialect at the hands of the great poet Bayram al-Tunisi, and began to limit herself to the role of a Bedouin girl, as she found that the audience strongly believed her, so she felt comfortable while introducing this character.

Her artistic career and the personality of "Abla"

Coca’s artistic career spanned for more than 40 years, during which she presented the character of “Abla”, the lover of the Al-Absi knight, Antara bin Shaddad, in 5 films, “Antar and Abla” in 1945, in partnership with Siraj Mounir, Najma Ibrahim, Ferdous Muhammad and Wedad Hamdi. After the success of the film, Koca returned to the same role 3 years later in the movie “Adventures of Antar and Abla”, also in association with Siraj Munir. She also presented the movie “Antar invades the desert” with Farid Shawqi, Ferdous Muhammad, Wedad Hamdi and Nour El-Demerdash in 1960. A year later, she presented with the same crew again the movie “Antar Ibn Shaddad”, which is the most famous version in her series of films. And finally, the movie “Bint Antar” with Farid Shawqi, Ahmed Mazhar and Samira Tawfik in 1964. That is why she was known as the “Egyptian cinema star”.

In addition, Coca participated in many films, including: “The Wives Factory, Rabha, Narrator, Sultana of the Desert, Laila Al-Ameriya, Prestige of the Gypsy Queen, Appearance of Islam, Love Buthaina, Bedouin Sayyid, Land of Heroes, Black Knight, Samra Sinai, Cigarette and Cup, Treasures.” Her last movie was “Uncle Zizou Habibi”, in front of the artist Mohamed Sobhi in 1977. She also co-starred in two television series, “Hroub” in 1976, and “Juha and Banat Shahbandar Al-Tijjar” in 1978.

Personal Life

Since the beginning of her artistic career, the artist Koca has worked with one of the most famous directors in Egyptian cinema at the time, director Niazi Mustafa. Who fell in love with her and asked her to marry. Indeed, the two got married after a love story that is considered one of the most famous love stories in the artistic community. After marriage, Koca discovered that she could not have children, and she was undergoing treatment with doctors for 4 years until she had a baby, to no avail. This prompted her to persuade her husband to marry another woman so that he could have children. Although he refused at first, but in the face of her strong insistence, Niazi Mustafa was forced to agree to marry a second time, so she chose the dancer Nemat Mukhtar for him. who Niazi Mustafa had already married, but he could not continue this marriage for long, so he decided to separate from her after only one month of marriage, and returned to his first wife Koca, whom he described as the love of his life.

Koca and optimism

In one of her press interviews, the artist Koca said that she has been a source of optimism among her family and friends since she was young. She said that the first person to be optimistic about her was her father, who was going through a financial crisis before her birth, and after her birth, all his financial problems were resolved, his financial position was restored and his business flourished. So he made sure to see her every morning before he went to work. She added that while she was in London filming the movie “The Salt Merchant”, a young man asked her to sign for him an autograph, and after a while the young man sent her a letter to tell her that this security was the beginning of his business success, and that he became a top businessman. Finally, Koca said that one year she was partying with her friend’s family on New Year’s Eve. This family had 5 daughters of marriageable age, but no bridegroom proposed to them. At midnight, one of the girls kissed Coca, and a week did not pass before a bridegroom proposed to that girl and got married. The following year, the family insisted that Coca celebrate with them on New Year’s Eve, and as soon as midnight came, the four girls attacked her and kissed her. A week did not pass before two grooms proposed to two of them, and within two months the last two girls got engaged. Coca became a source of optimism for the family, which spread among its members that a kiss from her would bring a bridegroom to single girls.

Her illness and her death

  • At the beginning of the seventies, Coca moved away from the cinema and turned to real estate, owning many buildings and buildings. Before she found out that she had malignant cancer, which she had suffered for a long time before her death. Coca passed away on January 29, 1979, in Alexandria, at the age of 62.

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On the anniversary of Soad Hosni’s birth… Unforgettable moments in Cinderella’s life

An exceptional case created by Soad Hosni for herself, with which she was able to immortalize her name in the history of Egyptian cinema. Sometimes she is a naughty teenage girl, and at other times she is a blatantly feminine woman. Despite that, her soul retained an innocent childhood. She excelled in acting, excelled in singing, and was distinguished by her ability to dance and show, captivating the hearts of the masses with her delicate features, remarkable grace, and attractive presence. She is known as “Cinderella” and “Sister of the Moon.” She lived a life full of mysterious situations and mysteries, and she wanted her death to be one of those mysteries that have not been revealed until today. On the anniversary of Cinderella’s birth, Soad Hosni, we recall with your situations from her artistic and personal life.

Her birth and Early Life

Her full name is Soad Muhammad Kamal Hosni al-Baba. She was born in the Bulak neighborhood of Cairo, on January 26, 1943. A father and a mother of Levantine origins. Her father is a calligrapher from the city of Damascus. He moved with his father to Egypt in 1912, at the invitation of King Farouk, to take over the management of the Royal Institute of Arabic Calligraphy. As for her mother, her name is Jawhara Muhammad Hassan Saffour, an Egyptian whose origins go back to the city of Homs. Soad Hosni had 16 brothers and sisters, of whom only two sisters, 8 brothers and sisters to her father, and 6 brothers and sisters to her mother. Soad Hosni descended from an artistic family, as she is the sister of singer Najat Al Saghira and composer Ezz El Din Hosni. She was found by the Syrian singer Hosni al-Baba, and her uncle, the comedian Anwar al-Baba, who was famous for playing a female character of a Levantine woman called “Umm Kamel” in many films and plays.

Early Works

Soad Hosni started her artistic career since she was a child, where she participated in the famous children’s radio program “Baba Sharo” and was famous for the song “Sister of the Moon”. However, her real artistic beginning came by chance, when she was met by the great poet and writer Abdel Rahman Al-Khamisi, who was a family friend. He recruited her in the play “Hamlet” by the world writer Shakespeare. Then he nominated her for her first role with the great director Henry Barakat in the movie “Hassan and Naima” in 1959, which wrote her artistic birth certificate.

Her film career

During her artistic career that spanned more than 30 years, Soad Hosni presented 91 films. She is famous for presenting the character of the naughty, light-hearted girl. She also possessed many artistic elements besides acting, as she excelled in another artistic genre, which is singing and showing, so she presented with the artist Rushdi Abaza the movie “Small on Love” in 1966, which he co-starred with 11 other films: “H 3, the little witch, the road, the ambassador’s side, the lovers’ weeping, the naughtiness of a man, the students’ apartment, Papa wants this, sunset and sunrise, lost love, where is my mind.” She also participated with the artist Ahmed Zaki in the movie “Shafiqa and Metwally” in 1979, “A Dinner Date” in 1981, “The Third Degree” in 1988 and “The Shepherd and Women” in 1991, as well as her only television series “He and She” in 1985. She also starred with the artist Hussein Fahmy in the films “Take care of Zozo” in 1972 and “Ameera My Love Anna” in 1974. She presented with Adel Imam the movie “The Suspect” in 1981, and the movie “Love in the Dungeon” in 1983, and also participated in the films “Tales 3 Girls, Sweet and Naughty, Showgirl”. We cannot forget her creativity in films such as: A rumor of love, the seven girls, the Zizi family, for men only, Karnak, the three love her, the well of deprivation, a stranger in my house, a bit of torment.

List of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema

Soad Hosni came in second place among the most actresses whose works were selected in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, after the artist Fatten Hamama. The balance of Cinderella from the films selected was 9 films, which are:

The movie “The Second Wife”, produced in 1967. And co-starring Sanaa Jamil, Shukri Sarhan and Salah Mansour. It was directed by Salah Abu Seif. It occupies number 16 on the list.

    The movie “Cairo 30”, produced in 1966. co-starring Ahmed Mazhar and Youssef Wahba. It was directed by Salah Abu Seif. It occupies number 18 on the list.

The movie “My Wife and the Dog” produced in 1971. co-starring Mahmoud Morsi, Nour El-Sharif and Zizi Mustafa. It was directed by Saeed Marzouk. It occupies number 33 on the list.

The movie “People of the Summit”, produced in 1981. co-starring Nour Sharif, Omar Hariri and Izzat Al-Alayli. It was directed by on me Badrakhan. It occupies number 37 on the list.

The movie “Al-Karnak”, produced in 1975. And co-starring Salah Zulfiqar, Farid Shawqi, Kamal El-Shennawy, Nour El-Sharif and Mohamed Sobhi. It was directed by on me Badrakhan. It occupies number 39 on the list.

The movie “On Whom We Shoot”, produced in 1975. co-starring Mahmoud Yassin, And Izzat Al-Alayli. It was directed by Kamal Sheikh. It occupies number 46 on the list.

The movie “The Choice”, produced in 1970. Co-starring Youssef Wehbe and Izzat Al-Alayli. It was directed by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 53 on the list.

The movie “sunset and sunrise”, produced in 1970. co-starring Salah Zulfiqar, Farid Shawqi, Kamal El-Shennawy, Nour El-Sharif and Mohamed Sobhi. It was directed by Kamal Sheikh. It occupies number 59 on the list.

The movie “Take care of Zuzu”, produced in 1972. It is co-starring Hussein Fahmy, Tahia Karioka, Shafiq Galal and Samir Ghanem. It was directed by Hassan Imam. It occupies number 79 on the list.

Awards and Honors

Soad Hosni won many awards and honors during her artistic career, and won the second place as the best actress in the twentieth century, after the artist Faten Hamama. It was also honored by President Anwar Sadat in 1979 in the celebrations of the Art Day. Among the most important awards it received:

  • Best Actor Award from the Egyptian Society of Cinematography in 1971 for the movie “The Third Man”.
  • Award from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture 5 times for the films The Second Wife, Sunrise and Sunrise, where is My Mind, Karnak, Shafiqa and Metwally.
  • Best Actress Award from the Egyptian Film Association 5 times for her roles in the films Where’s my mind, Karnak, Shafiqa and Metwally, Dinner Date, Love in the Dungeon.
  • Prize from the Alexandria Festival for the Shepherd and Women film.
  • Best Actor Award from the Egyptian Society of Cinematography in 1995 for the movie
  • Best Actress Award from the Egyptian Ministry of Information in 1987 in the Television Festival for her role in the series He and She .

Her marriage

It was known that Soad Hosni pledged her marriages, which amounted to 5 marriages. The first of these is an officially unconfirmed marriage to the artist Abdel Halim Hafez. A large number of journalists, including Mufid Fawzi, as well as some family members such as Janjah Abdel Moneim, the half-sister of Soad Hosni, confirmed that they had a common-law marriage, and their marriage lasted for 6 years, when they separated in 1965. One year after her separation from Abdel Halim, she got married and Soad Hosni married photographer and director Salah Karim for two years, when they divorced in 1968. The third marriage was with director Ali Badrakhan, in 1970, and her marriage to him lasted for 11 years, until they separated in 1981. In the same year, Souad Hosni married the artist Zaki Fateen Abdel Wahab, who was more than 15 years younger than her. But their marriage lasted only 5 months, due to the opposition of his mother, artist Laila Mourad. As for Soad Hosni’s last marriage, she was in 1987 with screenwriter Maher Awad, to whom she remained married until her death in 2001. Despite her multiple marriages, Soad Hosni did not have any children.

Cinderella and Nightingale quarrels

  • Despite the many rumors about Soad Hosni’s relationship with the artist Eid Halim Hafez, they only shared one artwork together at the beginning of her artistic career, which is the movie “Girls and Summer” in 1960, in which she embodied the role of his sister.

    Cinderella stated in one of her television interviews that Abdel Halim offered her to participate in the movie “My Father Over the Tree”, but she did not accept the role and felt that it did not suit her and preferred to be played by another artist. She added that there was no suitable work to bring them together, until 1972 came and there was a movie being prepared for it, bringing together Soad Hosni, Abdel Halim Hafez and Faten Hamama, but its filming was postponed due to Nightingale disease and in the end it was not implemented.

    Abdel Halim Hafez also nominated her for the lead role in the movie “Sins”, and Souad accepted the role, agreed with the director and received the deposit, and began preparing to film her scenes. So newspapers and art magazines spread rumors about the existence of a love story between the Nightingale and Cinderella, and that they are preparing for their wedding soon. This angered Abdel Halim, and he even contacted the journalists, asking them to quickly publish a denial of the news. However, his reaction angered Souad and was disturbed by his denial of the news in this way, so she resolved to withdraw from the film a few days before the start of filming. When Abdel Halim tried to contact her to understand what had happened, she refused to communicate with him, which caused the anger of Abdel Halim, who rushed to search for another actress, and his choice fell on Nadia Lutfi.

    It seems that Soad Hosni did not just apologize for the movie “Sins”, but decided to take revenge on Abdel Halim Hafez in another way. When Al-Andalib contracted in 1972 on the radio series “Please Don’t Understand Me Quickly”, he nominated Soad Hosni to star in the series, and called himself to tell her about it. Souad announced her initial approval and requested that he send her the story. Abdel Halim thought that she would not refuse to work, so he quickly announced the news in a radio interview, and the newspapers covered the news. However, Cinderella apologized at the last moment on the pretext of her many cinematic concerns.

Her journey with illness

  • In the eighties, Soad Hosni suffered from erosion in the sacral and lumbar vertebrae, which caused pressure on the blood vessels and rupture of the arteries. She traveled abroad for surgery to install a metal plate in the two vertebrae. After the surgery, she contracted a viral infection of the seventh nerve supplying the right half of the face, which led to partial paralysis of the face. Which necessitated her treatment with cortisone, which caused her to gain a large amount of weight, which affected her psychological state and caused her depression for many years.

The mystery of her death

  • In the last period of her life, Souad Hosni was living in the British capital, London, where she received treatment and kept away from appearing in front of her fans with her new look, after she lost her usual grace and increased her weight dramatically. At this time, she was recording an audio recording of the quatrains of the poet Salah Jaheen, who had a strong friendship that spanned for many years.

    On June 21, 2001, Soad Hosni died at the age of 58, after falling from the balcony of her sixth-floor apartment. The news of her death sparked a state of controversy and confusion that continues to this day, as gossip differed about the cause of her death. There are those who said that it was a natural death as a result of her imbalance after taking some medications, which led to her falling from the balcony. While some addressed rumors that she committed suicide as a result of the depression that she suffered from for a long time. While the finger pointed at more than one party or person who might have killed her. Her family and close friends confirmed that Soad Hosni’s personality is far from contemplating suicide, especially as she was preparing to break out of her isolation and return to Egypt and participate in new works of art. The mystery of her death is still uncovered, and the question is renewed every period about the fact of her death, and whether it was natural, suicide or murder.

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On the anniversary of Youssef Chahine’s birth… Learn about the most prominent events in the life of the “Professor.”

January 25 marks the birthday of director Youssef Chahine, who has been known since his inception for his controversial works, bold personality, and contrary views. Which made him a special case in the art world. He presented a group of artistic masterpieces that met with great success and praised filmmakers. As a result, he reached the world and became one of the most important film directors in Egypt and the world. He won many awards. He was also credited with discovering and introducing several new faces that became the most important art stars, so he was called the “Professor.” On his birthday, we invite you to learn about the most prominent events in the life of director Youssef Chahine.

His Birth & Early Life

His full name is Youssef Gabriel Shaheen, and he was born on January 25, 1926, in Alexandria. The Lebanese father works as a lawyer, and the mother is a housewife of Greek origin. He attended Saint-Marc French School, then obtained his high school diploma from Victoria English College, and graduated from Alexandria University. Then, in 1946, he traveled to the United States to study performing arts at the Pasadena Theater Institute.

His film career

After completing his studies, Youssef Chahine returned to Egypt to assist cinematographer Alvizi Orfanelli in his work in the film industry. He directed his first movie in 1950, when he was 23 years old, the movie “Baba Amin” starring Faten Hamama, Hussein Riad, Farid Shawqi, and Hind Rostom. He directed the movie “Ibn El-Nil” the following year starring Shukri Sarhan and Faten Hamama. The film caused it to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival for the first time.

During his artistic career, Youssef Chahine directed 40 films, including: “The Lady of the Train, Struggle in the Valley, Struggle in the Harbor, You Are My Love, Gate of Iron, Jamila, Nasser Salah Al-Din, The Land, The Return of the Prodigal Son, The Emigrant, Fate, The Other, Scott H Nassour, is chaos.”

As for the movie “Alexandria… Why?” it was produced in 1978. It was the first autobiographical film that Shaheen continued to present in his later films, which bore the titles “Hadwat Masriya” in 1982, “Alexandria Violin and Violin” in 1990, and “Alexandria New York” in 2004.

Youssef Chahine also directed six short films: It’s all a step, Cairo is enlightened by its people, Al-Intilaq, Salwa, Eid Al-Mirun, 9/11/2001. In 1992, author and theater director Jacques LaSalle asked him to choose a French comedy to perform at the French National Theatre. So Chahine chose the play “Caligula” by Albert Camus, and it achieved great success

Youssef Chahine and acting

In 1957, Youssef Chahine acted for the first time in one of his films, “The Iron Gate.” Still, he was surprised by referring him to trial on charges of acting without being restricted to the schedules of the Syndicate of Actors, as the law stipulated that no person should be represented in any work without being restricted to the schedules of the syndicate. The only exception to this is when a person plays a role that other union members cannot play. The penalty for that charge at the time was 30 days in prison and a fine of 50 pounds. However, Youssef Chahine defended his work, saying that he does not find a suitable actor for the role like him and that he does not have to hire a person who is not suitable just because he is a member of the syndicate—performed by anyone other than Youssef Chahine.

Indeed, Shaheen sent the film’s script to the syndicate with a request to be registered in its schedules, but he did not wait for the syndicate’s decision and completed the work of the film. Before the arbitrator, Youssef Chahine said that the syndicate members do not work because they are not suitable. Otherwise, the directors will seek help from them. The syndicate has no right to interfere in the directors’ work and choices. It does not have the right to undertake the script because this is incompatible with the confidentiality of the work. He stressed that this method could not make the directors discover the new talented faces because the syndicate does not bind them. At the same time, the Actors Syndicate confirmed that it wants to defend its members and give unemployed artists an opportunity instead of seeking help from those who are not registered in the union’s schedules. After that, the situation passed peacefully, and Youssef Chahine completed the film.

In addition to the character “Qenawi” that he played in the movie “Bab Al Hadid,” Youssef Chahine acted in several other films. First, he appeared in short scenes in the “Ismail Yassin in Flying” movie directed by Fatin Abdel Wahab. He also acted in “The Dawn of a New Day, The Sixth Day, Alexandria Violin, and Violin.” After that, he appeared in a lightning shot in the movie “Ibn El Nile,” and his last appearance was “Ouja,” courtesy of his student Khaled Youssef.

Controversial movies

With his bold opinions and various films, Youssef Chahine has constantly caused controversy. Which exposed him to many crises, and Shaheen was the owner of one of the largest religious crises in Egyptian cinema because of the movie “The Migrant,” which was called “Youssef and his Brothers.” Al-Azhar objected to its depiction because it presented the story of Prophet Yusuf. Peace be upon him. So Shaheen had to change the script and make major modifications to it so that he could shoot it so that the film became inspired by the story of our master Yusef. But unfortunately, even after being shown in the cinema, the film was permanently banned from television.

Chahine also entered into another conflict with censorship because of the movie “Al Asfour,” which talks about the stage of defeat after the 1967 war. Again, the censors saw a direct attack on the July Revolution and its symbols and prevented it from showing. Indeed, the film was stopped for nearly three years, and it was not shown until after the political situation in Egypt changed after the October 73 war.

List of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema

Youssef Chahine is the director with the largest share in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema. 12 of his films were selected in the list, which are:

  • The movie “The Land” starring Mahmoud El Meligy, Yahya Shaheen, Ezzat Al-Alayli, and Najwa Ibrahim, the story of Abdel Rahman Al-Sharqawi, and the script and dialogue by Hassan Fouad. It occupies number 2 on the list.
  • The movie “Bab Al-Hadid” starring Youssef Chahine, Farid Shawqi, Hind Rostom, and Hassan Al-Baroudi, is the story and script by Abdel Hai Adeeb, and the dialogue of Muhammad Abu Youssef. It occupies number 4 on the list.
  • The movie “Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din” starring Ahmed Mazhar, Salah Zulfiqar, Nadia Lutfi, Laila Fawzy, Hamdi Ghaith, and Mahmoud Al-Meligy, the story of Youssef Al-Sibai, the script, and dialogue by Abdel Rahman Al-Sharqawi. It occupies number 11 on the list.
  • The movie “Struggle in the Valley” starring Faten Hamama, Omar Sharif, Zaki Rostom, and Farid Shawqi, the story of Helmy Halim, the script and dialogue by Ali Al-Zarqawi. It occupies number 25 on the list.
  • The movie “Alexandria why” starring Mohsen Mohieldin, Abdullah Mahmoud, Ahmed Zaki, Farid Shawqi, Mahmoud El Meligy, and Naglaa Fathi, and the story of Mohsen Zayed, script and dialogue by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 32 on the list.
  • The movie “The Sparrow” starring Mahmoud El Meligy, Mohsina Tawfiq, Salah Kabil, and Saif Abdel Rahman, and the story of Lotfi El Khouli, script and dialogue by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 45 on the list.
  • The movie “The Return of the Prodigal Son” starring Magda El Roumi, Suhair Al Morshedy, Shukri Sarhan, Hoda Sultan, Mahmoud El Meligy, and the story of Salah Jaheen, script and dialogue by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 51 on the list.
  • The movie “Al-Muhajir” starring Khaled Al-Nabawi, Mahmoud Hamida, Yousra, Hanan Turk and Safia Al-Omari, the story of Rafiq Al-Sabban, the script and dialogue by Youssef Chahine and Khaled Youssef. It occupies number 52 on the list.
  • The movie “The Choice” starring Ezzat Al-Alayli, Souad Hosni, Youssef Wehbe, Hoda Sultan, and Mahmoud Al-Meligy, the story of Naguib Mahfouz, the script and dialogue by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 53 on the list.
  • The movie “Gamila” starring Magda, Salah Zulfikar, Ahmed Mazhar, Rushdi Abaza, and Zahra Al-Ala, the story of Youssef Al-Sebaei, the script, and dialogue by Naguib Mahfouz, Abdul Rahman Al-Sharqawi, and Ali Al-Zarqani. It occupies number 54 on the list.
  • The movie “Ibn El-Nil” starring Faten Hamama, Shukri Sarhan, Mahmoud El-Meligy, and Yahya Shaheen, the story and script by Youssef Chahine, and the dialogue of Nowrouz Abdel-Malik. It occupies number 82 on the list.
  • The movie “Egyptian Story,” starring Nour El Sherif, Yousra, Mohamed Mounir, Suheir El Babilly, and Mahmoud El Meligy, and a story, script, and dialogue by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 84 on the list.

New talents detection

Youssef Chahine presented many talented young faces in his films. Some of them continued and became stars in the skies of Egyptian cinema, and others gradually withdrew to secondary roles, and some of them decided to retire from acting. Among these stars, we mention:

  • Seif Abdel Rahman: In 1964, Shaheen chose him to play the character “Tariq” in the movie “Fajr A New Day,” and then the character “Raouf” in the movie “Al Asfour.” Although he is the most recurring new face in Youssef Chahine’s films, where he participated in more than ten works, most notably “The Nile and Life, Choice, Alexandria Les, Al-Masir, Farewell Bonaparte,” Seif gradually withdrew from the starring roles and was satisfied with secondary roles.

 

  • Mohsen Mohieldin: Youssef Chahine hired the young artist, Mohsen Mohieldin, who was 17 years old, to present the character “Yahya” in the movie “Alexandria Les” in 1979. And the movie “Egyptian Tales” in 1982. It is the character that represents Youssef Chahine himself during his youth. He chose him again in 1958 as “Ali” in the movie “Farewell Bonaparte.” After Mohsen Mohieldin presented a series of films, he suddenly decided to retire from acting in 1990. To return to the artistic field in 2013, after a 23-year retirement.

 

  • Amr Abdel Galil: Chahine presented him for the first time in the movie “Alexandria Kaman Walkman” in 1990 to present a precise stage of Youssef Chahine’s biography. Then he collaborated with Shaheen in some of his important films after that, such as “Al-Muhajir” and “Heya Fawda.”

 

  • Hanan Turk: Although she participated in some works before meeting Shaheen, Hanan Turk’s real artistic breakthrough came through the movie “The Migrant” in 1994, then the movie “The Other” in 1999, after which Hanan Turk began her long artistic career. Before she retired from acting completely in 2012.

 

  • Hani Salameh: After meeting Shaheen Bhani Salama by chance, he decided to include him in the list of his heroes. He presented it in 1997, through the character “Abdullah,” who falls prey to extremist religious groups, within the movie “The Destiny.” Then the character “Adam,” the romantic young man who defends his girlfriend until they are both killed in the movie “The Other.” For Hani Salama to reveal an outstanding talent and launch into the world of cinema with films that have achieved great success.

 

  • Yusra Louzy: Youssra El-Lozy entered the art world for the first time when Youssef Chahine chose her to participate in the movie “Alexandria New York” in 2004. She performed the young girl “Ginger,” a ballerina whom Yahya loved while studying in the United States of America. This role was her first step in the world of cinema.

Awards and Honors

  • The Golden Tanit Award from the Carthage Film Festival for “The Choice” in 1970.
  • Silver Bear Award from the Berlin Film Festival for the film “Alexandria… Why?” 1979
  • Best Photography Award from the Cairo Film Festival for the movie “Alexandria Violin and Violin” in 1989

    The State Appreciation Award in 1994.

  • Prize of the Amiens International Film Festival for the movie “The Destiny” in 1997
  • The Golden Jubilee Award of the Cannes Festival for all his works in 1997.
  • Francois Calais Award from the Cannes Film Festival for the film “The Other” in 1999
  • The UNESCO Prize from the Venice Film Festival for the film “9/11/2001” in 2003.

His Marriage

  • In his press and television interviews, Youssef Chahine stated that he wanted to marry the artist Faten Hamama, whom he fell in love with after presenting her first and second films, “Baba Amin” and “Ibn El-Nil.” But he could not tell her the truth of his feelings for her and his desire to marry her for fear of her rejection. Moreover, he was jealous of her love story with Omar Sharif, especially since he was the one who caused their association and marriage when he nominated his friend and classmate Omar Sharif for the lead role opposite Faten Hamama in the movie. “Struggle in the Valley,” Shaheen admitted that he became a very miserable person, and this led him to attempt suicide. After he went on strike, Youssef Chahine married in 1954 a foreign woman of French origin known as Colette Chahine. He had met her in Paris, and she came to Egypt after that, and the couple married without any introduction or courtship period. The marriage ceremony was held in the “Fleming” church in Alexandria. Shaheen was married to her until he died in 2008, and they had no children.

    Although his marriage to Mrs. Colette Chahine is the only announced marriage to Youssef Chahine, the novelist Iman Yahya confirmed in one of his articles that Youssef Chahine had an unknown marriage story he was 29 years old. He married a Russian cellist and ballerina, Ekaterina Umova. Who died suddenly on September 17, 1955. She fell and hit her head against a sharp piece of furniture while doing some ballet rehearsals. Eman Yahya indicated that Ekaterina is the reason for Youssef Chahine’s love of dance and music.

Illness and death

  • Youssef Chahine suffered a brain hemorrhage on June 15, 2008, after which he fell into a coma and was admitted to Al Shorouk Hospital in Cairo. His student, director Khaled Youssef, rented a private German ambulance to transport Shaheen on board to the American Hospital in the French capital, Paris, for treatment. But Youssef Chahine remained in a coma for six weeks, and due to the difficulty of his condition and his severe illness, he had to return to Egypt. To leave our world on July 27, at the age of 82.

صورة 1

Pioneer of theatrical writing and the first to write for Egyptian cinema. What you do not know about “Moliere of Arabia” Badi’ Khairi

The most prominent writers of Egyptian theater in the twentieth century, as he was the first to write for Egyptian cinema, whether silent or speaking. He lived a life full of art, and he did not leave any field of artistic creativity but excelled in it and left his own mark. He was a multi-talented creator since his early childhood. He is a poet, actor, author and screenwriter. That is why he was called “Moliere of the Arabs”, “the pioneer of playwriting” and “the sheikh of creators”. Badi’ Khairi, whose death anniversary falls on the first of February. On this occasion, we have collected for you some information and details that you may not know about the great writer.

His birth and upbringing

Badi’ Omar Khairy was born in the Maghribin neighborhood in the Darb al-Ahmar district of Cairo, on August 17, 1893. She has an Egyptian mother, the daughter of Sheikh Al-Laithi, one of the most famous merchants of Ghouria, and a Turkish father who emigrated from his town of Skudar in Turkey to Egypt and worked as an account manager for the mother of Khedive Abbas II.

He joined the writers and memorized the Noble Qur’an since his childhood, and joined the Higher School of Teachers, from which he graduated in 1914. He initially worked in the Egyptian Telephone Authority, and was translating English messages that came from England, as Egypt was under British occupation at that time. Then he worked as a teacher of geography and English. Badi’ was known for his love of reading since his childhood, which made him highly versed in the Arabic language. He even started writing at an early age, writing his first poem with us at the age of 13. His poems were published in many Egyptian newspapers at the time, under the pseudonym “Ibn al-Nil” he chose for himself.

His film career

Badi Khairy initially wanted to be an actor, so he auditioned for Zaki Tulaimat and George Abyad, but he did not succeed. He founded a group called “Al-Masry for Modern Acting”, and began writing plays based on Ahnabiyeh’s plays, the first of which was titled “Ama Hatta Wara”. Badi’ presented several operettas for the Munira al-Mahdiyya band, such as: “Al-Ghandoura, Qamar Al-Zaman, Houria Hanim, Al-Hilah”. He also presented with Ali Al-Kassar’s band “Who is among them, the ghoul, the inheritor”. Among his most famous plays are: “The world does not laugh, the dawa, the technical secretary, but five, a story every day, the old man when he breaks out, if you are sweet, the women do not know how to lie.”

Badi Khairy also wrote for silent cinema his first film, “The Mangban”, in 1918. He continued to write for cinema as it developed into a female speaker, so he wrote the talking movie “The Determination”, which is considered one of the most important Egyptian films, and was chosen to be ranked first in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema.

What Badie wrote for the cinema amounted to nearly 100 films, including: The victory of youth, storm in the countryside, miserable people, lover of life, roses of love, her Excellency, Si Omar, lipstick, game of six, sapphire Effendi, Laila girl of the poor, Friday night, compliance, pet girls, 30 days in prison, generous family Malish Gherik, Halibo, Antar and Lelb, Hakam Qaraqosh, kidnapped my wife, April fools, women don’t know how to lie.”

Badi Khairy also wrote the script for the first Egyptian cartoon in the thirties, entitled “Mishmash Effendi”, which discussed issues of Egyptian society. International newspapers talked about him at the time as the Egyptian brother of Mickey Mouse, the most famous American cartoon character at the time.

Intellectual giftedness

Badi Khairy’s talent was not limited to writing for cinema and theater only, but also extended to songs. Among his most famous songs, which became one of the most important songs in the Egyptian artistic heritage: “Get up, Egyptian, oh Balah Zaghloul, stop this and listen to this, this sweet one. Salama, Salamah. Is this what happened?” He also wrote the most beautiful songs of Mohamed Fawzy, “Shahat Al-Gharam, Leah Asham, and you are beautiful.” He wrote to Laila Murad, “Abjad Hawz, my eyes are luxurious”, and for Asmahan, “You have the prayers and peace of God.”

In addition to that, Badi’ Khairy loved journalistic writing, so he published the magazine “Alf Snaf wa Saf” in 1925, “Al-Ghoul” magazine in 1926, “An-Nahar” newspaper in 1930, and “Al-Istiqlal” newspaper in 1937. All of them were closed due to his articles and poems criticizing the conditions of society.

List of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema

The list of the top 100 in the history of Egyptian cinema includes 4 films by the creative writer Badi’ Khairy, which are:

  • The movie “Good Will” starring Hussein Sedky and Fatima Rushdi. It was directed by Kamal Selim. It was produced in 1939. It ranks number 1 on the list.
  • The movie “Ghazl Al Banat” starring Najib Al-Rihani, Laila Murad, Anwar Wagdy, Suleiman Najib, Youssef Wehbe, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Farid Shawqi and Mahmoud El Meligy. It was directed by Anwar Wagdy. It was produced in 1949. It ranks number 9 on the list.
  • The movie “Salamah fi Khair”, starring Najib Al-Rihani, Hussein Riad, Rakia Ibrahim, and Stefan Rosti. It was directed by Niazi Mustafa. It was produced in 1937. It ranks number 76 on the list.
  • The movie “Si Omar” starring Najib Al-Rihani, Abdel-Fattah Al-Qasry, Mary Mounib and Mimi Shakib. It was directed by Niazi Mustafa. It was produced in 1941. It ranks number 81 on the list.

Badi Khairy, Najib Al-Rihani and Sayed Darwish Partnership

Badi’ Khairi and Al-Rihani met for the first time in 1918, when Badi’ was presenting his first play “Ama Hatta Trouble” at the “Agpsiana” theater, so that Najib Al-Rihani watched the play by chance and liked it and asked him to write to him, to begin their friendship on a personal level, along with cooperation and partnership on the technical level that extended For many years, during which they presented many musical performances, which were close to 120 plays, including: “As you like it, the Egyptian pound, the good ten, the English obligation, the navigator’s nights, the good boy, the good days”. In addition to films such as “His Excellency Kushkish Bey”, “Sapphire Effendi”, “Red Lips”, “Abu Helmous”, “Si Omar”, “Salamah Fi Khair”, “The Set Game”.  As for their last work together, it was the movie “Ghazal Al Banat”, after which Rihani died, to be mourned by Badi’s with a sad poem.

The artistic trio was completed after Badi’ and Al-Rihani got to know the third side, Sayed Darwish, after they watched his play “Fayrouz Shah”. The beginning of the trio’s cooperation was in the play “If”, followed by many plays, including: “Ish, rang, fashir, the good ten, Scheherazade, qulula, it’s all from this.” The trio became close, not only by virtue of the artwork that brought them together, but also by virtue of friendship and brotherhood. Before Sayed Darwish left our world on September 10, 1923, and Najib Al-Rihani passed away about 26 years later on June 8, 1949.

His Marriage

Badi Khairy married his cousin, a woman from outside the artistic community, and had three children from her, “Mubdi’, Nabil and Adel”. The latter became an actor, and one of his most famous works is the play “Except Five” written by his father, but his artistic career did not exceed 7 years due to his death as a young man before he reached the age of 33.

His Death

Badi Khairy was genetically affected by diabetes in his youth, which at the end of his life caused him to amputate some of his fingers, before he passed away on February 1, 1966, at the age of over 72.

صورة 1

Started as a coincidence and ended a sad ending… Details of the love story between Dalal Abdel Aziz and Samir Ghanem

January coincides with the anniversary of the birth of one of the most famous acting duos that achieved remarkable success, not only on the acting level, but also extended to family life, the two artists and the late spouses Dalal Abdel Aziz and Samir Ghanem. Samir was born on January 15, 1937 in the village of Arab Al-Atola, Assiut Governorate. While Dalal was born on January 17, 1960 in the village of Feraghan, Sharkia Governorate. Just as the month of birth brought them together, the couple graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture, where Samir graduated from Alexandria University, while Dalal graduated from Zagazig University.

What makes the story of Dalal Abdel Aziz and Samir Ghanem distinct from others is that they achieved great artistic success, in addition to gaining wide acceptance among the masses. Which became evident after their death, as grief overshadowed the citizens in the Egyptian street, as if they had lost someone close and dear to them. On the occasion of their birthday, let us learn about the details of the love story that brought their hearts together, in addition to the artworks that brought them together on screen.

First Encounter

Dalal Abdel Aziz met Samir Ghanem for the first time in the scenes of the play “Welcome Doctor” was not their first meeting. Where coincidence brought them together many years before, and when Samir Ghanem was presenting one of his theatrical performances in Alexandria with the Troupe Adwaa Al-Adwaa Al-theater, and at that time Dalal was still a child, and when she saw him in the street by chance, she ran after him, and he stood to greet her and was nice to her by playing in her hair strands and then left her and gone. Dalal Abdel Aziz stated in one of the television interviews that Samir Ghanem used to joke with her after marriage, saying: “If I had known that I would marry you, I would have pushed you in the sea.”

The beginning of the love story

The love story of Dalal Abdel Aziz and Samir Ghanem is one of the most famous stories of successful engagement in the artistic community. Which has been known for its strength and durability for many years. The legendary start of love between the duo came by chance when Dalal Abdel Aziz was filming the series “Asilah” with the artist George Sidhom, so he nominated her to participate in the play “Welcome Doctor” in which he participates with Samir Ghanem. At that time, the duo met at the “Hosapir” theater, where Dalal underwent a test to get the role, and everyone admired her performance, and Samir Ghanem chose her to participate in the play.

At this time, Dalal had fallen in love with Samir Ghanem, and noticed that he had many admirers, but she had made the decision to marry him. Since that time, Dalal has been chasing him everywhere, accompanying him behind the scenes and during the theatrical performance, and even after the show ended, she would ask him to deliver her to her home on the pretext that she did not have a car, until Samir Ghanem began to turn to her. Throughout the 4 years of the play, the duo kept exchanging admiration words behind the scenes without saying anything.

Marriage

After long chases for 4 years, and despite the large age difference between them, which reached 23 years, many big stars such as Mahmoud Morsi, Mahmoud El-Meligy, Abdel Moneim Madbouly, and even George Sidhom, a friend of Omar Samir Ghanem, tried to warn her about this marriage and advised her to stay away from him, However, Dalal Abdel Aziz insisted on marrying Samir Ghanem.

For his part, Samir Ghanem refused to complete this marriage, due to the age difference between them, as well as his two previous marriage experiences that ended in a quick separation, which made him afraid of repeating the experience. Until a group of artists intervened to convince Samir to marry Dalal, including Farid Shawqi, Karima Mokhtar, and Mervat Amin. As for how he made the decision to marry, this came during the filming of the movie “I wish for a boy”, where the great artist Farid Shawqi sat with Samir Ghanem and asked him: “Why don’t you want to get married? This girl is sweet and very sexy Marry her.” Samir replied with a laugh: “Okay I will marry her for your sake”. Samir Ghanem retracted his refusal to marry, especially after Dalal Abdel Aziz’s behavior during the illness of his brother “Sayed” and what she did in this crisis in support of them, and offered to travel with him on a treatment journey. Indeed, Samir Ghanem and Dalal Abdel Aziz married in 1984, so the artistic community witnessed a duo that was not like other artistic duos, as it resulted in the most important artistic family in the artistic community.

Artistic family

One year after the marriage of Dalal Abdel Aziz and Samir Ghanem, specifically on January 1, 1985, the couple had their first daughter, Donia. Then, on March 31, 1987, they had their second daughter, Eman, known technically as Amy. Which also entered the world of art, and achieved great fame. Donia Samir Ghanem married the journalist Rami Radwan, while Amy Samir Ghanem married the actor Hassan Al Raddad.

Artworks they both participated in

  • The play “Welcome Doctor”, produced in 1980, starring George Sidhom, Eva, Magdy Kamel and Ibrahim Nasr. It is written by Faisal Nada and directed by Hassan Abdel Salam.
  • The play “The Trap of Marital Happiness”, produced in 1980. And co-starring Laila Taher, Laila Fahmy and Abdel Aziz Al-Tatawi. It was written by Saeed Abdullah and directed by Abdel Ghani Zaki.
  • “Fatouta” show produced in 1982. And co-starring Samira Sedky, Iman Al-Toukhi and Muhammad Abu Al-Hassan. It is written by Abdel Rahman Shawky and directed by Fahmy Abdel Hamid.
  • The movie “The End of a Married Man”, produced in 1983. And co-starring Bossi, Sayed Zayan, Hala Fakher, Ali Al-Sharif and Mazhar Abu Al-Naga. It is written by Faisal Nada and directed by Adel Sadek.
  • The movie “Ya Rab Walad” was produced in 1984. And co-starring Farid Shawqi, Karima Mokhtar, Ahmed Ratib, Ekrami, Esaad Younes and Hanan Suleiman. It is written by Faisal Nada and directed by Omar Abdel Aziz.
  • The movie “Saving What Can Be Saved”, produced in 1984. And co-starring Mahmoud Yassin, Madiha Kamel, Mervat Amin, Hussein Fahmy and Hassan Mustafa. It is written and directed by Saeed Marzouk.
  • The movie “Hadi Badi” was produced in 1984. The film is co-starring Farid Shawqi, Noura, Saeed Abdel Ghani and Zahra Al-Ala. It is written by Nabil Ghulam and directed by Hassan Al-Saifi.
  • The play “Fares and Bani Khaiban” produced in 1987. Farida Seif Al-Nasr, Sabri Abdel Moneim, Jalila Mahmoud and Sayed Hatem participated in the movie. It is written by Abdel Rahman Shawky and directed by Hassan after peace.
  • The movie “ex-cons”, produced in 1988. The film is co-starring Osama Abbas, Youssef Daoud, Hussein Abdel Nabi and Naima Al-Saghir. It is written by Abu Osama Ismail and directed by Muhammad Abaza.
  • The movie “Groom in the Lottery”, produced in 1989. The film is co-starring Hassan Mustafa, Imad Muharram, Maryam Fakhr El-Din and Jalila Mahmoud. It is written by Mohamed Khalil Al-Zahar and directed by Ismail Hassan.
  • The movie “The Three Dumbs” produced in 1990. The film is co-starring Younes Shalaby, Saeed Saleh, Jamil Ratib and Hussein El-Sherbiny. It is written by Bahjat Qamar and directed by Hassan El Seifi.
  • The movie “Al-Matb”, produced in 1990. It is co-starring Youssef Daoud, Fouad Khalil, Muhammad Al-Sharqawi and Aisha Al-Kilani. It is written by Muhammad Khalil Al-Zahar and directed by Hassan Al-Saifi.
  • The movie “The Con and the Dog” was produced in 1990. it is co-starring Shwikar, Sami Al-Adl, Fouad Khalil and Olfat Imam. It is written by Fawzi Ali and directed by Adel Sadek.
  • The play “My brother is in heaven and I’m in hell”, produced in 1992. the play is co-starring Rashawn Tawfik, Mohamed Al-Taji and Eva. It was written by Abdel Rahman Shawky and directed by Hassan Abdel Salam.
  • The 1993 movie “Men in Danger” was produced. It is co-starring Younes Shalaby, Hala Sedky and Fouad Khalil. It is written by Duha Ahmed Ali and directed by Najdi Hafez.
  • The series “The Family of Mr. Amin” produced in 2005 co-starring Donia Samir Ghanem and Amy Samir Ghanem. It is written by Amr Samir Atef and directed by Sherif Gamal.
  • Sitcom “Abdul Hamid Academy”, produced in 2005, co-starring Samia Atef and Hamada Barakat. It is written by Mohamed El Safty and directed by Ashraf Abdel Hadi.
  • The series “The Big Oy – Part Three” produced in 2013 co-starring Ahmed Makki, Donia Samir Ghanem and Mohamed Salam. It is written by Mostafa Helmy and Mohamed Ezz El-Din and directed by Ahmed El-Gendy and Hisham Fathy.
  • “Lahfa” series, produced in 2015. co-starring Donia Samir Ghanem Muhammad Salam, Ali Rabie, and Hana Al-Shorbagy. It is written by Ahmed Kamel and Amr Sukkar and directed by Moataz Al-Tuni.
  • The series “Nelly and Sherihan” produced in 2016 co-starring Donia Samir Ghanem, Amy Samir Ghanem, Muhammad Salam, Mustafa Khater and Salwa Khattab. It is written by Mustafa Saqr, Mohamed Ezz El-Din and Karim Youssef, and directed by Ahmed El-Gendy.
  • The series “Badal Al Hadouta Talata”, produced in 2019. co-starring Donia Samir Ghanem, Hisham Majed, Mohamed Salam, Bayoumi Fouad and Ahmed Rizk. It is written by Ayman Wattar and Sherif Naguib and directed by Khaled Al-Halafawi.

The death of the Samir Ghanem

Samir Ghanem and Dalal Abdel Aziz are also involved in many things, such as the month of birth, university studies and their love for art, as well as the journey of their lives that they spent together for more than 37 years, God willing, that the spouses will also share in the disease. The two were infected with the Corona virus, and they were transferred together to the intensive care unit in April of 2021 after their health deteriorated. The news of her passing away was announced on August 20, 20, at the age of 84. Without saying goodbye, she loved him and his wife, who remained in the intensive care unit without her knowledge of his death.

The death of Dalal Abdel Aziz

About 10 weeks after the death of her companion, specifically on August 7, Dalal Abdel Aziz died at the age of 61, due to the repercussions of infection with the Corona virus, which affected the respiratory system and infected her with lung cirrhosis. A state of deep sadness descends on their two daughters and colleagues in the artistic community, as well as the Egyptian and Arab public, after farewell to two of the most beautiful people on a personal level, and a duo of the most prominent duets on the artistic level.

Rumors after death

Although months have passed since the death of Samir Ghanem and his wife Dalal Abdel Aziz, they are still at the top of the list of the most searched people on social media and search engines to this day. This is because there are some rumors about the family from time to time. The first of these rumors was about the appearance of a second wife for the late artist, who is claiming her legal right to inherit. Many news websites also dealt with the rumor of Amy Samir Ghanem’s divorce from her husband, Hassan al-Raddad, her retirement from art and her wearing the hijab, especially after she appeared in some pictures wearing the abaya and hijab while she was in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. Recently, a new rumor was raised regarding the death of the spouses, after the death of the great journalist Wael Al-Ibrashi, and the issuance of some accusations against the doctor treating him, who was said to have caused his death because he was giving him a treatment that did not belong to the Corona virus treatment protocol approved by the Ministry of Health, which caused his condition to deteriorate. health and death. The rumor states that this doctor is the same doctor who treated Dalal Abdel Aziz and Samir Ghanem before their deaths, and that he may have contributed to the deterioration of their health after giving them the same medication.

During all that period, Donia and Amy Samir Ghanem did not bother to deny these rumors, whether by appearing in the media or even through a publication on their official accounts on social media.

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On the anniversary of the death of Laila Fawzy.. Learn about the life story of the “Beauty among women”

The year 1929 witnessed a major revolution in the film industry in the world, as movies turned into talking films, and silent films disappeared from view. This coup had a direct impact on the Egyptian film industry, as filmmakers were keen to exploit modern technologies to advance the film industry in Egypt, and combine the advantages of cinema and theater. They sought to present an Egyptian film whose heroes speak Arabic, in the hope of attracting the audience to watch it, thus ensuring huge financial profits.

For many months, that idea remained just a wish in the minds of filmmakers. Until the dean of the Arab theater, the great artist Youssef Wehbe, came to present the first Egyptian speaking film, which bore the name “Awlad Al-Zawat”, which was produced and shown in 1932. To make Egypt one of the first countries in the world, and the first in the Middle East, to have feature films.

This film is considered a milestone in the history of Egyptian cinema for many reasons. In addition to being the first attempt to present a talking cinema, it brought together a group of the most important artists at this time, headed by Youssef Wehbe and Amina Rizk, under the leadership of Mohamed Karim, the most important pioneer of directing art in Egypt. On the 90th anniversary of the premiere of the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat”, which falls on March 14, we would like to shed light on the details of this distinguished artwork, which caused a great crisis and angered the French.

A murder crime turned into a movie idea

The idea of the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” came to the mind of the artist Youssef Wehbe after a famous murder that took place in the twenties of the last century. Which began with the marriage of the rich Egyptian “Ali Bey Fahmy” to a poor French woman named “Margaret Miller”. While they were in London after a short period of marriage, and as a result of the difference in cultures and civilizations between the spouses, the differences between them increased, until the wife fired three bullets at her husband that took his life. She was arrested and her trial began on September 11, 1923, in a London court. Margaret chose the famous lawyer Sir Marshall Hall to defend her. Who would attack the oriental husband and describe him as barbaric, in order to convince the world that killing him was a just recompense for his brutality. The case turned from a murder to a trial of oriental customs, and the Europeans sided with “Margaret” as a victim of backward oriental customs. The court was convinced of the lawyer’s words, despite not providing a single evidence of the brutality of the eastern man, and issued a ruling acquitting Margaret, who demanded her inheritance from her dead husband.

The artist Youssef Wehbe was affected by this case, and wanted to defend the Arab man, rejecting the accusations leveled against him of backwardness, reaction and barbarism. So he suggested to his friend, director Mohamed Karim, that he present a film to show the opposite, and that foreign girls trap wealthy Egyptian youths for their money. He insisted that “Awlad al-Zawat” be the first Arabic-language film, in order for it to remain a landmark in the history of Egyptian cinema.

The Plot

The story of the film revolves around “Hamdy”, the husband who meets a French girl named “Julia” and falls in love with her. He leaves his wife in Egypt, and travels with his French lover to Paris. There, he discovers her betrayal, so he kills her, kills her lover, and is sentenced to prison. After the end of his imprisonment, he decided to return to Egypt, on the day that coincided with his son’s wedding day. To discover that his wife thought he had died in France, she married her cousin. Hamdi approaches his son to congratulate him on the marriage, without revealing his identity. The son thinks he is a beggar and gives him some money. Hamdi leaves home sad and goes to commit suicide under the wheels of the train.

Filming behind the scenes

The movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” was shown for the first time on March 14, 1932, and a large number of beautiful time stars participated in it, including Youssef Wehbe, Dawlat Abyad, Amina Rizk, Siraj Munir, Hassan Al-Baroudi, Anwar Wagdy and French artist Colette Darvey. It was directed by one of the most important pioneers of Egyptian cinema, director Mohamed Karim, and Ahmed Badrakhan worked with him as an assistant director. Kawkab Al Sharq Umm Kulthum also participated in singing in the film. Badia Masabni presented a dance segment as part of the film’s events.

Although “Awlad Al-Zawat” was considered the first speaking drama film in the history of Egyptian cinema, it was not fully spoken, as half of the film was spoken and the other half was silent. The reason for this is due to the high costs involved in producing a talking film at the time. The speaking part was filmed at the “Bison” studio in Paris, and the other part was filmed in Egypt at the “Ramses” studio.

Cruel attack and political crisis

After the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” was shown in the cinemas of Cairo and Alexandria, the film sparked widespread controversy due to the presentation of the character of the French woman as a liar, a traitor and a lover of material. Foreign newspapers, especially French ones, led campaigns to stop showing the film.

And the matter did not stop with the press attack, as many foreigners residing in Egypt filed a complaint with the Ministry of the Interior against the film, and several lawsuits were filed to demand the suspension of its showing, as it carries a clear insult and unjustified hostility to everything that is foreign. Especially as the film’s heroes came out with statements condemning the Egyptian’s marriage to a foreigner, because of the dire consequences it brings to the Egyptian family.

Indeed, the film was discontinued. The film’s hero and author, artist Youssef Wehbe, responded to the foreign press’s attack on the film, saying that the character of the French mistress “Julia” was not a descendant of a high-end French family, but rather a woman in ballrooms and cabarets. He pointed out that there are characters similar to that character in all films directed by European and American countries, including France itself. Why did not issue any press campaigns to attack those films. Youssef Wehbe also confirmed that the one who played “Julia” is a capable French actress who has a strong position in the world of cinema and theater in France. If she had found in the film something that would harm the reputation of the French woman, she would not have accepted the role from the beginning. With the passage of time, the fierce campaigns directed at the film subsided, and it was allowed to be shown in cinemas in Egypt and the Arab world again. To represent the birth certificate of talking cinema in Egypt, and to announce the end of the era of silent films.

Congratulations on that title fight.

The time of filming the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” coincided with the shooting of the movie “Song of the Heart”. This caused a controversy over the eligibility of both of them to get the title of the first Egyptian speaking film. Some technical sources classified the movie “Song of the Heart” as the most worthy of the title, especially since filming it first. However, the date of the show “Awlad Al-Zawat” settled the matter, as it was shown for the first time on March 14, 1932. On April 14 of the same year, one month after the release of the first talking movie in the history of Egyptian cinema, the movie “Song of the Foad” starring the singer Nadera in partnership with Zakaria Ahmed and George Abyad, and written by Khalil Mutran and Italian author Lazar, was shown. It was directed by Italian director Mario Volpi. His main idea was similar to the movie “The Children of the Self”, which is the hero’s love for a foreign girl, which causes misfortunes to befall him and his family. Despite its poor story, “Song of the Heart” achieved commercial success as it was the first musical film.

As for “Shajarat al-Dur”, which was shown on February 26, 1935, it is the first historical film presented by Egyptian cinema. And it was starring Asia Dagher, Mary Queenie, Abdul Rahman Rushdi, Mikhail Atallah and Mukhtar Hussein. It was based on the story of the Lebanese writer, Jerji Zaidan, and wrote the script and dialogue, and directed by Ahmed Jalal. The makers of “Shajarat al-Durr” waged a new struggle with the movie “Awlad al-Zawat” because they considered it the first full-length film, and that “Awlad al-Zawat” was half-speaking.

Shocked Destiny

During the seventies of the last century, the artist Youssef Wehbe appealed to the Ministry of Culture in his press interviews, to search for the tape of the original version of the film, and to restore and preserve it as an important piece of the heritage of Egyptian cinema. Noting that he searched for a long time in the National Film Archives, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the Oriental Institute in Paris, trying to find a copy of the film, but to no avail. Therefore, “Awlad Al-Zawat” was considered one of the lost films, despite its historical importance in Egyptian cinema.

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On the anniversary of the death of Laila Fawzy.. Learn about the life story of the “Beauty among women”

One of the most beautiful faces that passed through Egyptian cinema, and she left a clear imprint on her distinguished artistic career. The great actress, Laila Fawzy, whom God gave her a glamorous beauty, in addition to the acting talent that made her a successful star, has been on the throne of cinema for decades. She was nicknamed “The beauty among women” and “Princess Virginia” in relation to the role she played in the movie “Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din”. Especially as she retained her beauty even with her age and the introduction of maternity roles. Her beauty and fame did not disappear for a single moment, from her first artistic debut until her death, whose memory falls on January 12. In this article, we present to you the life story of the beautiful actress, Laila Fawzy.

Her birth and Early Life

Leila Muhammed Fawzi Ibrahim was born on October 20, 1918, in Turkey. To an Egyptian father and a Turkish mother whose ancestry goes back to Caesar Lee Pasha, one of the leaders of the Turkish army. She was ranked third among four sons. Because of her dazzling beauty, she was elected Miss Universe when she was ten years old. And an American magazine gave her the title of the most beautiful woman of her time. However, her beauty was the reason for depriving her of an education after the primary certificate, as her father took her out of school and she stayed at home to prevent the frequent harrsment of young people to her. During her stay at home, she had a hobby of acting, and she was standing in front of the mirror and imitating artists, so that her mother thought that she had lost her mind and took her to the doctor, who assured her that she was healthy and not crazy, and that she only liked acting.

Early Works

Laila Fawzy’s artistic start came by chance, when the registrar and author Qassem Wagdy saw her in the street, so he followed her until he reached her house and asked to meet her father and suggested that he present his daughter in the cinema. At the insistence of his wife and daughter, the father agreed to participate in her first movie, “The Wives Factory” in front of Coca and Mahmoud Zulficar. She was 14 years old at the time. The film failed commercially after its release in 1941, because it represented a social revolution against the education system. The important step in her artistic career came the following year, when director Mohamed Karim chose her to co-star in the movie “Forbidden Love” in front of musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab, with whom she participated in two other films: “A Bullet in the Heart” in 1944 and “I’m Not an Angel” in 1946.

Her film career

After her films with Abdel Wahab, offers poured in on Laila Fawzy to participate in many works. Director and producer Togo Mizrahi signed contracts with her for 3 films, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, which is her first starring role, in conjunction with Ali Al-Kassar, Ismail Yassin, Muhammad Abdul Muttalib and Riad Al-Qasabji. And the movie “Nour El-Din and the Three Sailors” in front of Ali Al-Kassar, Ismail Yassin, Mahmoud El-Meligy and Mahmoud Shukoko. The movie “Long Live the Sixes” in front of Anwar Wagdy, Mohsen Sarhan, Mimi Shakib and Madiha Yousry. Then she launched into the world of fame and stardom, as her artistic career spanned for nearly 60 years, during which she presented about 85 films, including: “The Les Miserables, The Ambassador of Hell, Laila Bint Al Shati, Al Nasser Salah Al Din, One Thousand and One Nights, Faris Bani Hamdan, Young Teenager, Dalal Al Masreya, Sultana of Tarab, Alexandria Les.” Her last movie was “The Knight of the Back of the Horse” with director Atef Salem, in 2001.
As for the TV drama, it presented 40 TV series, the most important of which are: “Al-Haramlek, Ali Al-Zeibaq, One Thousand and One Nights, Halawani Gate, Hawanim Garden City, Years of Love and Misery, My Blood, My Tears and My Smile, Who Doesn’t Love Fatimah ” Her last television work was the series “Frisca” with director Magdy Ahmed Ali, in 2004

The list of top 100 movies

4 films from Laila Fawzy’s works were selected to participate in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, according to the critics’ choice, and these films are:
• The movie “Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din”, starring Ahmed Mazhar, Salah Zulfikar, Nadia Lutfi and Laila Fawzy, and directed by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 11 on the list.
• The movie “Why Alexandria?” In partnership with Ahmed Zaki, Farid Shawqi, Mahmoud El Meligy, Mohsen Mohi El Din, Abdullah Mahmoud and Naglaa Fathi, and directed by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 32 on the list.
• The movie “A Bullet in the Heart”, in partnership with Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Rakia Ibrahim, Siraj Mounir, and Ghali Al Kassar, directed by Mohamed Karim. It occupies number 65 on the list.
• The movie “The Mountain” with Salah Kabil, Samira Ahmed, Magda Al-Khatib, Zozo Madi and Abdel Wareth Asser, directed by Sobhi Abdel Aziz. It occupies number 94 on the list.

Awards and Honors

During her career, Laila Fawzy won many awards and honors, including an award for her role in the movie “Shams Stroke” from the Film Writers and Critics Association in 1980. She was honored in 2003 by the 19th Alexandria International Film Festival. She was also honored by the 28th Cairo International Film Festival in 2004

Her marriages and personal life

Laila Fawzi married 3 times. The first marriage was with the artist Aziz Othman, who was a friend of her father and is 30 years older than her. Laila insisted on marrying him to escape her father’s cruelty, especially after he refused her marriage to Anwar Wagdy, with whom a strong love story joined them. Their marriage lasted 5 years, during which she suffered the same cruelty with her husband, and she insisted on a divorce. After her divorce, Laila returned to her first love, and the second marriage took place in 1954, with the artist Anwar Wagdy. But her marriage only lasted a few months, as he fell seriously ill, and the couple traveled abroad on a medical trip. Anwar left our world, and Laila retired from acting for three years after his death due to her great sadness for him. As for the third and final marriage, in 1960, she married the radio broadcaster Jalal Moawad, and their marriage lasted until his death in 1997, after which she did not remarry. Nor did she have any children from her three marriages

Tragic Events

During her life, Laila Fawzy went through some trajic situations and accidents that some describe as tragic. In addition to his death, her first love and her husband, artist Anwar Wagdy, died after a few months of marriage. It was said that she was the cause of the death of her first husband, Aziz Othman, after she insisted to divorce him, and despite his refusal to divorce, he agreed after pressure from their close friends, to die several days after the divorce. It was also the reason for the divorce of her sister, who was married to a wealthy businessman, who refused his sister-in-law’s work in the cinema, considered it a disgrace to the family, and tried to pressure her father to refuse her entry into art. One day, Registrar Qassem Wagdy tried to persuade the hard-line husband to reverse his position, which the husband considered an insult, and expelled him from the house. Out of his extreme anger, he divorced his wife, then could not stand the shock, so he fell paralyzed and died.

Her death.

Asia Dagher, the Star Maker and Dean of Producers, passed away on January 12, 2005, at the age of 86. And that was after a struggle with illness, at Dar Al Fouad Hospital, and her funeral took place from Mustafa Mahmoud Mosque in Mohandessin.

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On the anniversary of the death of Asia Dagher.. Learn about the film career of “The Dean of Producers”

Her name was recorded in golden letters in the annals of Egyptian cinema. She became one of the pioneers who contributed to the renaissance of cinema in Egypt. She is the actress and producer Asya Dagher, who has been nicknamed the Dean of Producers. She was credited with discovering many artistic talents, whether in the field of acting or directing.

Her birth and Early Life

Her real name is Almaza Dagher. She was born on April 18, 1901, in the village of Tannourine, Lebanon. She began her artistic career in Lebanon when she starred in a short film entitled “Under the Shades of the Cedars” in 1922. After the death of her husband in 1923, and due to the difficult political conditions that Lebanon experienced due to the French occupation,
She left Lebanon and came to Egypt with her daughter “Eileen”, her sister “Mary” and her niece, “Mary Queenie”, and they all resided in Alexandria. Because of her little experience, she was unable to find a suitable job, so she decided to try acting in Cairo. At that time, it was inappropriate for the artist to have children, so she claimed that she adopted a girl, and changed her daughter’s name, “Eileen” to “Mona”, and no one knew the truth until she obtained Egyptian citizenship in 1933.

Early Works

Asia Dagher began her artistic career in Egypt by presenting a secondary role in the first silent Egyptian film, “Nida’ Al-Rabb” or “The Call of God” in 1926, then the second modified version of the film in 1927, which bore the name “Laila”, which is the first film Featured novel in Egyptian cinema. Thus, she became the first Lebanese girl to appear in an Egyptian movie. Her first starring was in the movie “Ghada al-Sahara” in 1929. Which she produced for herself.

Lotus Film Company

In 1927, Assia and her niece, the artist Mary Queenie, founded the Lotus Film Company for the production and distribution of films, which became the oldest film production company in Egypt. Therefore, she deserved the title of “Dean of Producers”. The movie “Ghada al-Sahara” was the company’s first film in 1929, and the seventh in the history of Egyptian cinema. Where she used the Turkish artist, Wedad Orfi, to direct it. Then she hired director Ibrahim Lama to present the movie “Punk of Conscience” in 1931, a film that, after its success, contributed to her obtaining Egyptian citizenship in appreciation of her efforts.
Since 1933, she has collaborated with writer and director Ahmed Galal, and has made nearly 10 films with him. Until he abandoned her in 1942 after marrying her sister’s daughter, Mary Queenie, and established “Studio Galal” for production with her, and devoted himself to directing films for his own company. So, Asia Dagher started looking for another director until she settled on the young director Henri Barakat to direct the movie “Al-Shared” in 1942.

Her achievements in Egyptian cinema

Asia Dagher had a clear and distinctive imprint in Egyptian cinema, as she was the pioneer in presenting the first science fiction movie entitled “Witch’s Eyes”, a film that was initially rejected by censorship because its events revolve around controversial ideas such as resurrecting the dead, hypnosis and magic. It also caused the anger of the clergy, until Abdel Fattah Pasha Yahya, then Prime Minister, intervened to solve the crisis and allowed the film to be shown, as he saw that the filmmakers made it clear at the end of the film that the heroine was dreaming.
In 1954, she produced the movie “Life or Death”, which was transmitted in the world of cinematography, as 80% of its scenes were filmed on the streets of Cairo, while previous cinematic works were shot in studios, thus achieving a new achievement. She also had the lead in presenting the first Egyptian film in color in 1958, which is “Give My Heart Back”.
She was also very interested in presenting epic historical films, as she was the first to present them in Egyptian cinema, and a large production budget was allocated to them to appear appropriately. One of the most important historical films produced by the film was “Shagaret al-Dur” in 1935, which was the first Egyptian historical film. Then the movie “Prince of Revenge” in 1950, and the movie “Al-Nasser Salah al-Din” in 1963, which was later selected in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, where it ranked 11th.

Discover new directors and actors

Asia Dagher contributed to the emergence of a group of the most important directors and artists in the history of Egyptian cinema. She presented the director, Henry Barakat, in the movie “Al-Sharida” in 1942, and after that she presented the new directors who later became among the greatest directors such as Youssef Chahine, Hassan Al-Imam. Ibrahim Emara, Ahmed Kamel Morsi, Youssef Maalouf, Ezz El-Din Zulficar, Hassan El-Saifi, Helmy Rafla, Kamal El-Sheikh.
As for the artists, Faten Hamama, at the beginning of her artistic life, appeared in the movie “Al Hanim” in 1947. She also presented Sabah in the movie “The Heart Has One” in 1945. She also presented Salah Nazmi in the movie “This is what my father did” in 1945.

Quitting Acting

During her career, Asiya Dagher has acted in nearly 20 movies. In the late 1940s, specifically in 1947, Asia Dagher suddenly decided to quit acting altogether. The movie “Al Hanim” was the last movie in which she co-starred with Faten Hamama and Zaki Rostom. After that, she decided to devote herself to production, and produced a number of the most important works of art, including: “Prince of Vengeance, A Watch for Your Heart, Charming Mother-in-law, Life or Death, Returning My Heart, Al-Nasir Salah Al-Din, Diary of a Deputy in the Countryside”. Bringing the ‘total’ of the films she produced to about 50 films.
Although she did not give clear reasons for her retirement from acting, it was said that she moved away from him because she could not read, and she could not abandon her Lebanese dialect, which was not accepted by the Egyptians, in addition to the lack of public acceptance of her ostentatious performance in films.

Declaring bankruptcy

Asia Dagher wanted to present a huge artwork that would immortalize her name in the memory of cinema, so she chose the movie “Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din” and agreed with Ezzedine Zulficar to direct the film. But he fell seriously ill, which caused a 5-year delay in the preparation of the film. Until Ezzedine Zulficar nominated the young director Youssef Chahine, who was 26 years old at the time, to complete the film. Because of her great faith in the film and her betting on its success, Asia Dagher mortgaged her house and car and sold her entire home, in order to pay the film’s budget, which exceeded 200,000 pounds, thus becoming the largest production budget for an Egyptian movie in that period. However, the film failed due to poor marketing and distribution to cinemas, which caused a heavy loss to Asia Dagher, and all of her property was seized, which prompted her to declare her bankruptcy. Even the Ministry of Culture honored her and gave her 3,000 pounds as assistance in paying her debts, and compensating part of her loss. Because of her bankruptcy, there was a significant decline in her production of films, and Asia Dagher presented only 4 films after “Al-Nasser Salah El-Din”, none of which achieved enough commercial success to compensate for her heavy loss. She stopped film production in 1972, to conclude her production history with the movie “The Devil and the Autumn.”

The list of top 100 movies

5 films produced by Asia Dagher were selected to participate in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, according to critics’ choice, and these films are:
The movie “Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din”, starring Ahmed Mazhar, Salah Zulfikar, Nadia Lutfi and Laila Fawzy, and directed by Youssef Chahine. It occupies number 11 on the list.
The movie “Give My Heart Back”, starring Shukri Sarhan, Maryam Fakhreddine, Salah Zulfikar, Hussein Riad and Hind Rostom, and directed by Ezzedine Zulficar. It occupies number 13 on the list.
The movie “Life or Death”, starring Imad Hamdi and Madiha Yousry, and directed by Kamal Al-Sheikh. It occupies number 38 on the list.
The movie “Prince of Revenge”, starring Anwar Wagdy, Farid Shawqi, Samia Gamal and Madiha Yousry, directed by Henry Barakat, and ranked No. 61.
The movie “Diary of a Deputy in the Countryside”, starring Ahmed Abdel Halim, Rawya Ashour and Tawfiq Al-Daqn, and directed by Tawfiq Saleh. It occupies number 69 on the list.

Awards and Honors

Asia Dagher has received many important awards throughout her career, in recognition of her artwork and her great contributions to the field of cinema. Among the most important awards that she won, we mention the following:
The Lebanese Merit Award.
• Prize from the League of Arab States for producing the historical film “Al-Nasser Salah El-Din”.
• First prize in film production in 1950.
• The Syrian Order of Merit.
• First prize in the State Film Competition for producing the films “Life or Death” and “Return My Heart”.
• Pioneers Award from the Film Writers and Critics Association.
• State Prize for Pioneers in the Golden Jubilee Festival of Egyptian Cinema.

Her death.

Asia Dagher, the Star Maker and Dean of Producers, passed away on January 12, 1986, at the age of 84.

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On the birthday of Maryam Fakhreddine… Screenshots from the life of “Screen Belle “

A glamorous star who entered the world of art to shine among the stars, she is Maryam Fakhreddine, who is considered one of the most beautiful stars of the beautiful era in Egyptian cinema, and was even nicknamed “Beauty of the Screen” because of her attractive features, her gentle smile and her slender figure. For her prowess in providing the role of a romantic girl, she was also nicknamed “The Innocent Angel”. But she did not let the beauty of her angelic face become her passport to fame and stardom, and she was able to prove her artistic talent with merit. So, let’s celebrate Maryam Fakhreddine’s birthday, which falls on January 8, and review together snapshots of her personal and artistic life.

Her birth and Early Life

Maryam Mohamed Fakhreddine was born on January 8, 1933 in Fayoum, to an Egyptian father and a Hungarian mother, and she is the older sister of the artist Youssef Fakhreddin. She was educated at the German School in Bab El-Louk, and has mastered many languages, including English, French, German and Hungarian.

Early Works

Mariam Fakhreddine’s artistic start came by chance. On her birthday, her mother took her to take a photo of her. The photographer suggested that she participate in the competition held by the French magazine “Image”. She won the award for the most beautiful face, and received the prize amount, which was 250 pounds, and her picture was published on the cover of the magazine. When the great cinematographer Abdo Nasr saw her, he searched for her and suggested that she enter the world of art, and he contracted with her to star in her first film, which bore the name “Night of Love”, which was taken from the novel “Bastard” by the romantic writer Muhammad Abdullah, directed by Ahmed Badrakhan. That was in 1951. To begin her long artistic career, Maryam Fakhr El-Din.

Her film career

After that, Mariam Fakhreddine presented two films for director Ahmed Badrakhan, “The Promise” in 1954, and “The Little Bride” in 1956. In the fifties and sixties, she used to play the delicate, romantic and overpowered girl. But from time to time she managed to break out of this stereotypical character, to innovate in other, more complex roles. Some of her works: “Give my heart back, Soft Hands, I Don’t Sleep, Angel and Demon, The Cursed Palace, A Love Story, Today’s Youth, Me and My Heart, A Love Journey, Virgin Remains, Well of Deprivation, A Message to God”.
In the seventies, the roles of Maryam Fakhruddin differed by age. She is now taking on roles that are completely different from her usual stereotypical roles, including the role of the mother in the films “The Well of Deprivation, 3 Teenage Girls, Love Was, Mad Youth I Will Return Without Tears, A Storm of Tears, A Virgin But, Whispers of the Night”. The role of Queen Nazli in the movie “Sultana Al Tarab” , the role of the nun in the movie “a girl like no other”. the role of the unfaithful wife in the films “The Judge and the Executioner, With Memories”.
Maryam Fakhr El-Din is the record holder in film championships, as she starred in nearly 400 films, a record that no artist has achieved before. The beauty of the Cinema was not satisfied with acting only, as she also produced 4 films: “Khalkhal Ring” in 1955 and “A Love Journey, Me and My Heart, Today’s Youth” in 1957.
As for the TV series in which Maryam Fakhreddine participated during her artistic career, we mention them: “The Unknown, Innocents in the Dock, Raafat Al-Hagan, The Age of the Knights, Mothers in the House of Love, Al-Hawi, Against the Current, Deferred Dreams, Manshiyat Al-Bakri, Opera Aida”.

Awards and Honors

Maryam Fakhreddine won many awards during her artistic career. She received nearly 500 certificates of appreciation from various technical bodies. However, she was not a believer in these awards, and says that a message from the audience is much better than any award, because the message represents the people’s sincere love.
After her death, she was honored at the 36th Cairo International Film Festival, and the festival’s organizers were keen to dedicate this session to the spirit of the late artist, and put her picture on the festival’s logo.

Her marriages and personal life

Maryam Fakhreddine was married 4 times, the first marriage came in 1952, that is, one year after she entered the artistic field, and when she was only 17 years old. She married actor and director Mahmoud Zulficar, who was 38 years old at the time. Their marriage lasted 8 years, during which she gave birth to her daughter, Iman, and then they separated because of her husband’s insane jealousy, as well as his miserliness and his strong control over her and his financial exploitation of her. Only 3 months later, Maryam Fakhreddine married for the second time to Dr. Muhammad Al-Taweel, after she met him by chance while receiving treatment in a hospital in Alexandria. They agreed to marry on condition that she retire from art. She agreed and moved to live with him in Sweden, where he was receiving an educational scholarship there. So that he too began to exploit her financially, as she paid him from her own money the travel expenses, and she lived a harsh life with him because of his bad treatment of her due to the lack of money and his inability to provide for living expenses. She separated from him after 4 years of marriage, which resulted in their son “Ahmed”.
The third marriage was with the Syrian singer Fahd Ballan, after he proposed to her the first time they met while filming the movie “Where’s My Love” in 1968, and they married after only 3 months. Maryam Fakhruddin has always described him as the kindest, kindest and most generous of her husbands. But their marriage did not last long because her children did not accept him, so she asked him to separate and he calmly agreed. Her last marriage came to Sherif Al-Fadali, who was chosen by her children, who was 10 years younger than her. However, she asked for a divorce from him after her children married, and she refused to marry again, and chose to devote herself to art and acting.

Conversion to Islam

Maryam Fakhreddine was born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, but her mother taught her the teachings of the Christian religion, so she entered the nuns’ schools and registered her in the school as “Mary Fakhri”, and she taught Christianity for many years until her father was surprised by this. So he went to school and told the teachers that his daughter was a Muslim. Maryam Fakhruddin stated that what her mother did was the reason for her growing up knowing nothing about the Islamic religion, and not knowing how to pray properly. She also stated in one of the media interviews that she did not learn to pray until she reached the age of 50, due to her filming a drama, in which she was supposed to read Surat Al-Fatihah in one of its scenes, so the people in charge of the work wrote it down for her and memorized it by heart. One day, she woke up during the dawn call to prayer and wanted to pray, so she called the artist, Shadia, to teach her how to pray. The next morning, I was surprised by Sheikh Muhammad Metwally Al Shaarawy calling her to teach her how to pray and how to perform ablution.

Her shocking statements

In the last years before her death, Maryam Fakhruddin used to speak frankly in the press and television interviews in which she participated. Where she caused a great shock to the public due to her sensational statements and bold attack on fellow artists. Maryam Fakhreddine refused to call the artist Faten Hamama the “Lady of the Arab Screen”. She wonders why she is called this title and not other actresses, even though she did not perform different roles. She said: “Ok, for example, Shadia and I. What are we then? Nobody?!” We are both the gerbils of the Arab screen, Hind Rostom, Magda Al-Sabahi and Souad Hosni, I mean, this is our leader, and we are the worlds behind which we sing!”. As for Adel Imam, she attacked the title of “leader” and asked: It is the work of the play “Al-Wad Sayed Al-Shaghal.” Why was he not given this title?
Maryam Fakhreddine also attacked the artist, Nermin El-Feki, for playing the role of “Engie” in the series “Give My Heart Back”, the same character that Maryam had previously embodied in a movie of the same name, and she said about her: “Narmin al-Fiqi is chubby, I was so thin. No one eats a pot of stuffed cabbage and goes to play romantic roles.” She also expressed her dissatisfaction with the personality of the artist, Sabah, and said that she is a woman who loves men and prefers to marry younger men. She attacked Sabah’s many plastic surgeries to make her look younger, stressing that every age has its beauty.

Her relationship with Rushdi Abaza

Maryam Fakhruddin’s relationship with the artist Rushdi Abaza aroused a lot of controversy. It is said that a strong love affair joined them and Rushdi Abaza stayed for long months confused between her and Samia Jamal until he finally married the latter. For her part, Maryam Fakhruddin stated that Rushdi Abaza was in love with her and wanted to marry her. He even broke into her house one day by hitting the door with his pistol so that he could enter. She indicated that he was not conscious at the time, and when she saw him in this condition, she quickly escaped from the servants’ ladder and went to her mother, who was living near her.
So her mother went home with her and found Rushdi Abaza sitting in the salon eating kebabs and drinking whiskey. As soon as he saw her mother, he welcomed her and kissed her hands and invited her to share the food with him, and after they had finished with him, he asked her to marry Mary, and she asked for a while to think. As for the reason for her refusal to marry him, Maryam Fakhreddine said: “His mother is a foreigner, and my mother is foreigner, and he acts like them, and I do not like this lifestyle.”

Her death.

Maryam Fakhreddine fell ill, necessitating her admission to the hospital and a surgy to remove a blood clot from the brain. But her health deteriorated after undergoing the operation and she was kept in the intensive care room. Until she passed away on November 3, 2014, at the age of 81.