profile

    Youssef Chahine

    1926-01-25 (98 years old) in Alexandria, Egypt

    Youssef Chahine (born in Alexandria, Egypt, 1926) started studying in a friars' school and then turned to Victoria College until High School Certificate. After one year at the University of Alexandria, he moved to the U.S. and spent two years at the Pasadena Play House, taking courses on film and dramatic arts. After coming back to Egypt, cinematographer Alevise Orfanelli helped him into the film business. His film debut was Baba Amin (1950): one year later, with Son of the Nile (1951) he was first invited to the Cannes Film festival. In 1970, he was awarded a Golden Tanit at the Carthage Festival. With Le moineau (1973), he directed the first Egypt-Algeria co-production. He won a Silver Bear in Berlin for Alexandria... Why? (1979), the first installment in what proved to be an autobiographic trilogy, completed with Hadduta Masriya (1982)(An Egyptian Story (1982)) and Alexandria: Again and Forever (1989). In 1992, Jacques Lassalle proposed him to stage a piece of his choice for Comédie Française: Chahine chose to adapt Albert Camus' "Caligula," which proved hugely successful. The same year he started writing The Emigrant (1994), a story inspired by the Biblical character of Joseph, son of Jacob. This had long been a dream project, and he finally got to shoot it in 1994. In 1997, 46 years and 5 invitations later, he was again selected Hors Competition in Cannes with Destiny (1997).

    Movies

    poster
    Let's Talk
    40 %|Nov 21, 2019
    Documentary
    poster
    Into Studio Masr
    0 %|Oct 27, 2019
    Documentary
    poster
    Ouija
    46 %|Jan 6, 2006
    Drama
    poster
    Women Who Loved Cinema
    0 %|Jun 28, 2002
    Documentary
    poster
    Kiarostami in Close up
    0 %|Jan 1, 2000
    Documentary
    poster
    Concerto in Darb Saada
    0 %|Jun 14, 1998
    Drama
    poster
    Cairo as Told by Youssef Chahine
    68 %|Sep 21, 1991
    Documentary
    poster
    Alexandria Again and Forever
    47 %|Dec 4, 1989
    Drama
    poster
    Trio
    0 %|Apr 2, 1987
    Documentary
    poster
    Arab Camera
    57 %|Jan 2, 1987
    Documentary
    poster
    The Sixth Day
    48 %|Sep 29, 1986
    Drama
    poster
    An Egyptian Story
    63 %|Sep 27, 1982
    Drama, Fantasy
    actor
    Cinématon XIV
    0 %|Nov 8, 1981
    poster
    Dawn of a New Day
    70 %|Feb 10, 1964
    Drama
    poster
    Ismail Yassine in the Air Force
    75 %|Jun 14, 1959
    Comedy, Romance
    poster
    Cairo Station
    74 %|Jul 31, 1958
    Crime, Drama, Thriller
    poster
    Women Without Men
    0 %|Feb 5, 1953
    Drama, Music

    Series

    poster
    The Story of Film: An Odyssey
    76 %|Sep 3, 2011
    Documentary
    actor
    Matin Bonheur
    0 %|Apr 14, 1987
    Talk
    poster
    Spécial cinéma
    0 %|Sep 25, 1974
    Talk