Mumbai: The late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine will be honored during the second Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), to be held in Abu Dhabi from 10 to 19 October, with a photo exhibition of his life. This was announced by vice chairman of the festival Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei.
"Chahine is one of the makers of cinematic art and was one of the greatest symbols of Arabic cinema in the world in close to half a century," said Mazrouei.
Festival executive director Nashwa Al Ruwaini added, "The exhibitions contains 100 frames of rare photos and rare artifacts that will be held in one of the halls of the Emirates Palace and which was prepared in Cairo by a team of experts in film exhibitions."
Artist Naji Shaker has designed each of the 100 frames while the MEIFF Creative team will organize the design and lighting of the exhibition.
The opening of the exhibition will be held at 8 p.m. on 11 October and will be attended by a number of stars who have worked with the late Director. Among the attendees will be Egyptian actresses Yusra and Leila Alawi and Lubluba, Egyptian actor Saif Abdelrahman, film Director Khaled Youssef and screenwriter Nasser Abdel Rahman in addition to some members of Chahine’s family including his nephew, the manager of his production company Gabi Khoury, and his niece Producer and Director Marian Khoury.
The Venice Film Festival has also dedicated their festival to Chahine and recently screened the film Cairo Station, a 1958 classic that Chahine starred in and directed, as a tribute to him.
Chahine, who passed away in Cairo on July 27, was one of the greatest Arab directors of all time. He had been active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950 and had directed over 40 films over the course of his career, making him the leading voice of Arabic cinema for more than half a century.
MEIFF, held in Abu Dhabi, is an annual event and a project of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). The festival is a cultural event dedicated to bringing a diverse slate of international films and programs to the community and introducing filmmakers from around the world to the resources of the region.
