During the second edition of Gabès Arabic Film Festival (FIFAG) Which will take place from September 24 to 30, 2016, a special tribute will be paid to the late Mohamed Khan, a great Egyptian director, who died on July 26, 2016 at the age of 74.
Born in Cairo in 1942 of an Egyptian mother and a Pakistani father, Mohamed Khan studied in the United Kingdom and worked as assistant director in Lebanon, before settling definitively in Egypt where he produced 24 feature films with the greatest actors and actresses in the country.
Considered by critics as one of the founders of Egyptian realistic cinema.
Considered by criticism as one of the founders of realistic Egyptian cinema in the early 1980s, it was known for its portraits of strong women in the process of emancipation, crossing the scandalous thunderstorms of divorce or adultery despite the stigma and reprobations of civil society. It is also known to have described the tightness between desires and obligations of the Egyptian man and to have filmed better than anyone the teeming streets of Cairo.
During his career, Mohamed Khan received more than 30 awards, both national and international and international.
Among his films, we can quote “Zawgat Ragol Mohem” (the wife of an important man), in which the director unveiled the sickly psychology of a police officer, intoxicated by power and engaged in the repression against the political opposition (money prize at the Damascus film festival in 1987) and “Ahlam Hind wa Camilia” (The Dreams of Hind and Camilia) cleaning living in bourgeois families and seeking to escape to find their happiness (bronze prize at the Valence film festival in 1988).
In 2013, these two films were selected by the Dubai International Film Festival for its list of the 100 best Arab films of all time.
His film “Fatet al Masnaa” (The Factory Daughter), chronicle of the life of a young worker opposed to sexism, was selected in official competition at the Carthage Cinematographic Days in 2014. He also obtained several awards including the prizes for the best Arab film and the best actress at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2013 and the prizes for the Best Director Egyptian from Cairo in 2014.
In December 2015, Mohamed Khan published “Mokhreg aala al Tareeq”, a collection of a selection of his articles published between 1990 and 2014 in various newspapers such as Al Hayet, Al-Qabas et al-Tahrir.
In April 2016, the Cairo International Film Festival had decided to grant Mohamed Khan, the Faten Hamama Prize, for all of his work. This award was scheduled to be given to him during the opening ceremony of the 38th edition of the Festival which will take place from November 15 to 24, 2016.
This posthumous tribute will include several components:
– Some of the films made by Mohamed Khan will be screened throughout the duration of the festival.
– A round table will be dedicated to him. Will take part in two international stars: the Tunisian Hend SabryHonorary president of the festival and the Egyptian Khaled Abol Naga.
In 2005, the two actors both played in “Banat Wist Il Balad», Film for which Mohamed Khan won the Prize for best director at the National Egyptian Cinema Festival in Cairo in 2006.
As for Khaled Abol Naga, he had also played the main male role in “FI Shaket Masr El Gedida», Film for which Mohamed Khan had received in 2007, the prize for the best Arab film at the Damascus Film Festival and Le Khanjar d’Argent at the Mascate Film Festival.
– the screening of a short film directed by Ahmed Rashwanfriend of Mohamed Khan for 28 years and his assistant in several films.
During his lifetime Mohamed Khan had projected to make an autobiographical film. He will not have had time to do so. Ahmed Rashwan will lead this project to the end. The short film lasting about 10 minutes will be a kind of trailer for this next feature film.
– The publication of a booklet bringing together the testimonies of friends of the director, film critics and journalists, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon.
Rest in peace the artist!
Neila Driss
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