Youssef Chahine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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Youssef Chahine
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| يوسف شاهين | |
Youssef Chahine in 1986
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| Born |
Youssef Gabriel Chahine
25 January 1926 |
| Died | 27 July 2008 (aged 82) |
| Nationality |  Egyptian |
| Occupation | Film director, Actor, Writer and Producer. |
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Notable work
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Full list |
Youssef Chahine (born January 25, 1926 – died July 27, 2008) was a famous Egyptian film director. He worked in the Egyptian film industry from 1950 until he passed away. He directed twelve movies that are considered among the Top 100 Egyptian films. Chahine won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival for his amazing work over the years. He also helped start the career of the famous actor Omar Sharif.
Chahine was highly respected by critics and often attended film festivals early in his career. He became known to a wider international audience when he helped direct 11'9"01 September 11 in 2002.
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Early Life and Growing Up
Youssef Chahine was born in Alexandria, Egypt. His family belonged to the Melkite Greek Catholic faith. His father was a lawyer from Zahle, Lebanon and supported the Egyptian nationalist Wafd Party. His mother, Claire Bastorous, was of Greek descent and worked as a tailor. Even though he was raised Catholic, Chahine didn't believe in organized religion. If asked about his religion, he would simply say, "Egyptian." At home, the Chahine family spoke five different languages, which was common in Alexandria back then because it was a very diverse city.
Chahine had loving parents and a strong bond with both of them. From a young age, he knew he wanted to work in the film industry. He would spend hours imagining himself in projection theaters, cinema halls, or production companies.
Chahine learned honesty from his father, a quality he valued greatly. His father also encouraged his love for books. Since his father's law practice struggled, he took a job with the Alexandria municipality to afford Chahine's tuition at Victoria College. Chahine also remembered his father teaching him how to find his way in the desert using landmarks. These memories often came back to him when he was looking for film locations. Even though they weren't rich, their home felt grand, and they always had good manners. Mistakes usually meant eating dinner alone in the kitchen. Despite being short on money, they often hosted guests for dinner without worrying about their bank accounts.
Learning About Film
Young Chahine loved performing arts from an early age and would create shows at home for his family. He started his education at a Frères' school called Collège Saint Marc. Later, he attended Alexandria's famous Victoria College. After finishing Victoria College in 1944, he was determined to study abroad. His parents initially disagreed and wanted him to attend the University of Alexandria for engineering, but Chahine refused.
Eventually, he got his wish and enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse in California. There, he studied theater and television, but not film. Out of 200 students, only thirteen took the final exam, and Chahine was one of the four who passed, ranking first!
After returning from Pasadena, Chahine didn't immediately work in Egyptian theater or film. Instead, he joined 20th Century Fox's publicity department, working with Gianni Vernuccio and Alvise Orfanelli. During this time, a producer asked Chahine to finish a film after the original director left, but Chahine didn't want to complete someone else's work. He also turned down an Assistant Director role, saying he had worked in Hollywood theaters and wanted a more senior position.
Becoming a Director
After returning to Egypt, Chahine focused on directing. Cinematographer Alvise Orfanelli helped him get into the film business. Chahine directed his first movie, Baba Amin (Daddy Amin), in 1950 when he was just 23. This was two years before the Egyptian revolution of 1952 that changed Egypt's government.
A year later, his film Nile Boy (1951) was invited to the Cannes Film Festival for the first time. His movie Sira' fi-l-Wadi (Struggle in the Valley) introduced the famous actor Omar Sharif to the cinema world. In 1970, Chahine won a Golden Tanit award at the Carthage Film Festival for al-Ikhtiyar (The Choice). With The Sparrow (1973), he shared his political views after the Six-Day War with Israel. This film was also the first movie co-produced by Egypt and Algeria.
He won the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the 29th Berlin International Film Festival for Alexandria... Why? (1978). This was the first part of a series of four films about his own life, which also included An Egyptian Story (1982), Alexandria, Again and Again (1990), and Alexandria...New York (2004). The producer Humbert Balsan worked with Chahine on nine films, starting with Adieu, Bonaparte in 1985. In his film The Sixth Day, based on a French novel, the famous Egyptian singer Dalida played the main role of a poor Egyptian woman.
Chahine once famously said about his work, "I make my films first for myself. Then for my family. Then for Alexandria. Then for Egypt. If the Arab world likes them, ahlan wa sahlan (welcome). If the foreign audience likes them, they are doubly welcome."
Important Films by Chahine
Throughout his long career, Chahine made many different movies. His early films in Egypt included Raging Sky (1953), which was about a farmer challenging a powerful landlord. In 1992, he adapted Albert Camus' play Caligula for the Comédie-Française theater. The same year, he began writing The Emigrant (1994), a story inspired by the Biblical character of Joseph.
This film caused some debate in Egypt between people who supported modern ideas and those who followed strict religious rules, because it showed religious characters. In 1997, 46 years after he started directing, Chahine received a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival. Chahine is known for directing five films starring Salah Zulfikar, including important movies like Saladin (1963), The Nile and the Life (1968), and Those People of the Nile (1972). He also discovered Omar Sharif, who had his first main role in Chahine's film The Blazing Sun (1954). Chahine also gave Hind Rostom an early role in her career in Cairo Station (1958).
Chahine made four films about his own life between 1978 and 2004. These films tell the story of a character named Yehia, who represents Chahine himself. In these movies, he explores his personality and family life. These autobiographical films are set between World War One and World War Two.
Alexandria... Why?, released in 1979 and set in the 1940s, caused some discussion and was even censored by the government. It looked at Egypt's social and political issues. An Egyptian Story, released in 1982, shows Chahine's journey as a director.
In 1989, Chahine released his third autobiographical film, Alexandria Again and Forever. This movie shows a strike by actors, actresses, and production workers in the Egyptian film industry. The film is a political comment on censorship in Egypt. Chahine used many different directing styles in this movie.
The fourth and final film in this series is Alexandria ... New York (2004). This film compares Chahine's life to the story he tells and explores the relationship between the United States and Egypt.
About Cairo Station (1958)
This film takes place in Cairo train station. It features Kinawi (played by Youssef Chahine), a newspaper seller who is mentally unstable and deeply in love with Hanouma. Hanouma sells cold drinks illegally at the same station. Kinawi collects pictures of women from magazines for his small cabin. He is obsessed with Hanouma (played by the famous actress Hind Rostom), who is engaged to Abou Seri', a porter and union organizer. During the story, Kinawi attacks Halawithom, Hanouma's friend.
About Jamila, The Algerian (1958)
Jamila Bouhired, also known as Jamila, was a symbol of resistance for Algerians and Arabs. In the film, Jamila sees the French Army arrest her friend. She then decides to join the National Liberation Front. Because of her intelligence, she is promoted to an organizer. Eventually, she is arrested and tortured in prison. She is put on trial in a military court, and they try to kill her lawyer, as they had gotten rid of many witnesses. Luckily, the lawyer survives, but the court still sentences her to the death penalty. Resistance movements grow stronger, and Jamila becomes a symbol of inspiration and resistance across the Arab world.
The film first showed at the Moscow Film Festival in 1959, which upset the French government. It received great praise at the festival, especially for Salah Zulfikar, the lead actor. However, it was not shown on Egyptian television for many years. According to Magda, the lead actress and producer, Egypt had banned the screening to avoid harming political relations with France.
About Saladin (1963)
Chahine made a long, three-hour epic film called Saladin, about the 12th-century Ayyubid sultan. The film begins with Saladin preparing to free Jerusalem from the Crusaders. The script was written by Ezz El-Dine Zulficar, Naguib Mahfouz, and the poet Abderrahman Cherkaoui.
The film draws a clear connection between Saladin and President Nasser, who supported pan-Arabism. Saladin is shown as an educated and peaceful man. At one point, he secretly helps Richard the Lion Heart, who was shot by an arrow. Saladin tells him: "Religion is God’s and the Earth is for all ... I guarantee to all Christians in Jerusalem the same rights as are enjoyed by Muslims."
Chahine knew that the film could be seen as supporting President Nasser as a modern Saladin. He said, "My own sympathies were with pan-Arabism, which I still believe in." The main reason he made the film was to show that an epic movie could be made with a small budget, compared to global cinema standards. After this film, he only produced color movies.
About The Earth (1968)
This film is based on a novel by Cherkaoui. It is especially known for showing a realistic image of the peasant farmer, which was different from how they were shown in movies before. Chahine later worked with Mahfouz again on The Choice.
About The Sparrow (1972)
This film explores what happened after the Six-Day War and Nasser's announcement of defeat and his decision to resign.
In an iconic scene in Egyptian cinema, Bahiyya, the main character, runs into the street, followed by a growing crowd, shouting, "No! we must fight. We won’t accept defeat!"
About Alexandria, Why? (1978)
This film tells the story of Yehia, a young student at Victoria College who loves Hollywood and dreams of making movies. It is 1942, and the Germans are close to entering Alexandria, which some people preferred over the British presence in Egypt.
About An Egyptian Story (1982)
After a heart operation, the main character reviews his life. Scenes from Chahine's own films are shown again, connected to his life story and the historical events around him.
Memory is very important in Chahine's later work. He often thought about "the city of my childhood, Alexandria, between the two world wars – tolerant, secular, open to Muslims, Christians and Jews." He also thought about a more distant past, like in Adieu Bonaparte (1985), which focused on the cultural impact of Bonaparte's expedition into Egypt in 1798. Chahine believed that "Out of this marvelous confrontation there was a rebirth of Egyptian consciousness, of its past ... which belongs to humanity."
About Destiny (1997)
Set in Andalusia in the 12th century, Destiny is a historical drama about Ibn Rushd, a famous Muslim thinker. He was known for his debates with Muslim theologians and his writings about Aristotle. The film shows his friendships with intellectuals and artists, including a singer played by Mohamed Mounir. They face attacks from a growing movement of militant fundamentalists supported by the region's ruler, Caliph al-Mansour. The film includes political messages and songs that can be seen as symbolic, especially since it was made during a time when Egypt was experiencing Islamist terrorist attacks.
Illness and Death
Youssef Chahine was taken to El Shorouq hospital in Cairo after falling into a coma due to a possible brain bleed on June 15, 2008. The next day, he was flown to Paris for emergency treatment and admitted to the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine. His niece said his condition was "critical but stable."
Youssef Chahine passed away at his home in Cairo on Sunday, July 27, 2008. His wife, Colette, survived him.
Tributes and Awards
In 2008, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) honored Youssef Chahine for his great contributions to film.
On January 25, 2015, Google Doodle celebrated what would have been his 89th birthday.
Chahine received many awards and nominations throughout his career. He won the 50th Anniversary Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for his lifetime achievements. He also won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1979 for Alexandria, Why?. Other awards include the François Chalais Award at Cannes, the OCIC Award at Amiens International Film Festival, the Horus Award at Cairo National Festival for Egyptian Cinema, and the Tanit d'Or at Carthage Film Festival. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2007 and the Murex d'Or Award in 2003.
More About His Films
See also
- Cinema of Egypt
- Top 100 Egyptian films
- Ezz El-Dine Zulficar
- List of Egyptians
