Mohamed Khan
Mohamed Hamed Hassan Khan ( ; 26 October 1942 – 26 July 2016) was an Egyptian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was a pivotal member of the "1980s generation" in Egyptian cinema, along with directors such as Khairy Beshara, Daoud Abd El-Sayed, Atef El-Tayeb, and Yousry Nasrallah. His main aesthetic credo, in line with directors from his generation, was a reinvigorated realism seeking direct documentation of everyday life in Cairo, beyond the walls of the studio. Khan has 4 films in the Top 100 Egyptian films list. Biography Khan was born on 26 October 1942 in Cairo, Egypt to an Egyptian mother from what is now Pakistan. After completing his high school education in Egypt, he went on to study at the London School of Film Technique (now known as The London International Film School) between 1962 and 1963. He directed several 8mm films. In 1963, he returned to Egypt and worked in the script department of the General Egyptian Film Organization. Between 1964 and 1966, he worked as an assistant director in Lebanon. He then moved again in England, where he wrote his book "An Introduction to the Egyptian Cinema", published by Informatics in 1969. He edited another Book entitled “Outline of Czechoslovakian Cinema”, which was also published by Informatics in 1971. His 1983 film The Street Player was entered into the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. According to a book issued by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in December 2007, Khan's Ahlam Hind we Kamilia (1988) is one of the 100 landmarks in the history of the Egyptian cinema. He has one daughter, Nadine, a film director, and one son, Hassan, an artist and musician. He was married twice first to Zeinab Khalifa, a well known Egyptian Jeweller and then to Wessam Soliman, an Egyptian scenarist who wrote three of his movies: Banat Wust el-Balad (Downtown Girls), Fi-Sha'et Masr el-Guedida (In a Heliopolis Apartment), and Fatat el-Masna' (The Factory Girl). Filmography, screening and prizes Short Films Da'e (1963) (a.k.a. Lost) Al Haram (1964) (a.k.a. The Pyramid) Al Battikha (1972) (a.k.a. The Watermelon). Screened at Adelaide and Oberhausen film festivals in 1973. Leqa' a'ely (1983) (a.k.a. A meeting of the Family) Al Sebaq Al Tawil (1989) (a.k.a. The Long Race) Yoam Fi Hayat Ossra Sa'eeda (1990) (a.k.a. A Day in the Life of a Happy Family) Al Alameyya (Sakhr) (1993) Ahlam layssat Mostahila (1995) (a.k.a. Feasible Dreams) Al Mar'a Al Messreyya (a.k.a. The Egyptian Woman) Atfal Al Shaware' (a.k.a. Street Kids) Al Bait Al Kabir (a.k.a. The Family House) Feature Films Darbet shams (1978) Screened at Montreal World Film Festival in 1979. Cidalec Golden Award for first film at the Alexandria Film Festival in 1979. First Film Award at the Egyptian Film Society Festival in 1979. Certificate of Merrit for Direction from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture in 1981. El Raghba (1980) (a.k.a. Desire) Al Tha'r (1980) (a.k.a. The Vengeance) Ta'er ala el tariq (1981) (a.k.a. A Bird on the Road). Screened at Montreal, Sorento, Tashkent, Karlovy Vary Film Festivals