He was born on June 30, 1947 in Tanta, Egypt when his mother was going
to visit some relatives in this Delta town north of Cairo. He lived
until he was five years old in the countryside as the eldest of four
siblings. The family had to move to Cairo for school and He grew up in
the popular neighbourhood of Shoubra.
He has been fascinated with cinema since an early age. He used to dig
holes in the mud fence around our old countryside house to observe the
daily activities of the peasants. He also grew up fascinated with his
uncle, Kamel Youssef, his mother's brother. He was a tall handsome man
that studied drama and literature in England and returned to Egypt to
work in radio and theater. His books opened his eyes to a whole new
universe.
He entered the Egyptian Higher Institute of Cinema and graduated in
1967. He worked as an assistant director on two features: Abbas Kamel's
"I am the Doctor"; and Tewfik Saleh's "Diary of the Village
Investigator". In 1968, he headed to Poland to study on a one year
fellowship. There, he met his beloved wife Monika Kowalczyk and they
got married in October 1969. When he returned to Egypt, he continued to
work as assistant director in addition to some acting and
writing/teaching. In 1972, he worked with the famous Polish movie "In
Desert and in Wilderness" during the shooting in Egypt.
In the period from 1974-86, he made over a dozen of documentaries and
short films on a variety of topics. His first feature was "Bloody
Destinies" in co-production with Algeria. The movie was shot in 1976,
finished in 1980 and released in 1982.
He directed 11 feature movies over the years ranging from social drama
to soul searching as Egyptians are caught between mixed identities. The
Filmography section of this website provides details on his work as
well as the various awards and honours received nationally and
internationally. More recently, he has been teaching at the High Film
Institute and he enjoyed the fresh perspectives of his students. He is
also on a steep learning curve to catch up with the digital revolution.
His dream is to break free from the production monopoly in Egypt and
make movies independently.
His family has been a great support and an honest critic. He and Monika
have a daughter, Miranda who is married and currently resides in the
USA and a son, Robert who is starting college this year. From 1996 to
present he has been Adjunct Professor, Higher Institute of Cinema,
Cairo, Egypt.
