Biography

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.
- IMDb mini biography by: Robert Beshara/ iamthebeatles@hotmail.com