The World through Egyptian Eyes

For many, international cinema is synonymous with Hollywood, and with the exception of perhaps directors working in France, Italy, and Great Britain, the rest of the world’s great cinematic traditions are largely ignored in Europe and America. That is why London’s BFI season celebrating the work of Egyptian cinematic master Youssef Chahine is such a treat. The season offers a rare opportunity to experience the work of one of the world’s greatest film directors, someone who, although acclaimed worldwide, has a body of work that is not easily accessible. The British Film Institute’s Southbank season gives cinemagoers a welcome chance to see many of Chahine’s classic films.

Curated by Elhum Shakerifar and presented in partnership with the SAFAR Film Festival and London’s Ciné Lumière, the season will span Chahine’s vast and eclectic career. He was a director whose driving force was to depict the everyday lives of ordinary Egyptians. Some of the films to be screened include Cairo Station, still widely regarded as his masterpiece. Alongside Cairo Station, his semi-autobiographical Alexandria Trilogy will also be shown, as well as The Blazing Sun, the film that introduced screen legend Omar Sharif to the world.

Curator Elhum Shakerifar says of Chahine’s work: “Seismic political changes provided a dramatic backdrop to his socially anchored neo-realist work and his epic re-imaginings of the past. Chahine was fascinated by human desire — the complexity of emotions, relationships, and ambition — making his work at once seductive, humanist, and politically charged. Yet it was also often playful, even comedic. His love of early Hollywood permeates his films, as evinced by his use of musical interludes, while his lifelong obsession with Hamlet is made clear in his semi-autobiographical Alexandria Trilogy. A household name across the Arab world and feted internationally throughout his career, Chahine continues to appeal to his Egyptian audience; at Cairo Airport, his portrait welcomes you to the city.” Youssef Chahine is also known as one of the few directors in the region to include gay and bisexual themes in several of his films.