HomeCulture & Art The Arab Film Festival Mourns the Passing of Renowned Arab Filmmaker Yousef Chahine
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
The Arab Film Festival is deeply saddened by the loss of Yousef Chahine, the most celebrated filmmaker of the Arab World.
Yousef Chahine died on Sunday in Cairo, Egypt at the age of 82 after being in a coma for the last month due to a brain hemorrhage. Mr. Chahine was born as Gabrielle Yousef Chahine in Alexandria on Jan. 25, 1926 to a Greek mother and a Lebanese father.
After studying at Alexandria University for one year, Mr. Chahine moved to the USA for two years to study film and dramatic arts at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, CA. After his return to Egypt, he focused his efforts on filmmaking. In 1950, he directed his first film, “Baba Amin”. To date, Mr. Chahine is accredited with over 40 films, spanning five decades with a multitude of genres. His films tackled everyday topics of poverty, the working class, as well as controversial political issues in Egypt and the Arab World.
Mr. Chahine’s creativity and artistic talents will be celebrated for years to come. As a leading filmmaker in the Arab World, his work has been an inspiration to many artists. His talents have immensely contributed to the success of the Arab film industry, which has produced a body of work that has allowed the creation of the Arab Film Festival and our mission to enhance public understanding of the Arab World, its culture and people to American audiences.
During his long career, he made more than 40 films. The last, "This is Chaos," was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2007.
The Arab Film Festival would like to commemorate Yousef Chahine’s contribution to Arab Cinema and the world at large with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented during the 12 Annual Arab Film Festival in October.
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