Youssef Chahine

Known for DirectingBorn 1926-01-25Died 2008-07-27Alexandria, 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).Read more

Movies & web series

Sands of Gold

Spécial cinéma

Concerto in Darb Saada

Ismail Yassine in the Air Force

The Land

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

A Man in My Life

Lovers' Call

Forever Yours

Women Without Men

The Water-Carrier Is Dead

Dawn of a New Day

Farewell, Love

Chaos, This Is?

The Choice

Cairo as Told by Youssef Chahine

The Ring Seller

Cairo Station

Saladin

Jamila, the Algerian

Destiny

My One And Only Love

Alexandria... New York

Son of the Nile

The Sparrow

To Each His Own Cinema

The Blazing Sun

The Great Clown

Shafiqa and Metwally

September 11

An Egyptian Story

Baba Amin

Alexandria… Why?

Lumière & Company

The Devil of the Desert

Return of the Prodigal Son

Struggle in the Harbor

Arab Camera

The Emigrant

Adieu Bonaparte

The Other

Silence... We're Rolling

Lady of The Train

Let's Talk

The Nile and the Life

The Sixth Day

Alexandria Again and Forever

Ouija