Hussein Fahmy says 'shortcut culture' is undermining Egyptian television and drama

Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair, veteran actor says Egyptian productions are losing some of their universal appeal

Hussein Fahmy is one of many high-profile guests appearing at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Photo: Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre

Hussein Fahmy says diminishing standards – from storytelling to production – are affecting Egyptian television and drama.

Speaking at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the veteran actor and Cairo International Film Festival president attributed the decline to what he describes as a “shortcut culture” within the industry, where trends and commercial appeal are prioritised over strong narratives and craftsmanship.

The result, he suggested, is an increasingly skewed portrayal of Egypt and its people on screen, along with a disregard for classical Arabic texts that have long served as a rich source of inspiration for Egyptian film and television.

“What we are lacking today, I believe, is seriousness,” he said. “I see a lot of shortcutting in writing and execution, and what this ultimately does is reduce the value of drama. This is played out in how we no longer treat heritage texts seriously and instead run after market demands with superficial works. True success comes when the work is good and has substance. Only then does it ultimately succeed.”

It was a pointed message that Fahmy, 85, directed not only at his colleagues, but at the audience as well, suggesting that it is they who ultimately control the standards of what is acceptable, not the other way around.

“No one controls public taste,” he added. “The audience does. The public has the right to change the channel, to stop watching, to not go to the cinema. I place a major responsibility on the audience. When the audience supports meaningful work, producers will follow. But when audiences chase commercial, shallow works, producers will replicate them.

“When the public accepts meaningless productions, they deny us the opportunity to offer them refined culture. The public must help us artists by choosing quality, supporting fine comedy, fine drama, and rejecting vulgarity.

“I am against the idea that you are 'forced' to listen to bad music. If you hear a bad song, don’t listen to it again. We all bear a social responsibility to uplift public taste.”

Hussein Fahmy addressed a packed session at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Photo: Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre

Fahmy’s reflections came as part of a wider discussion on the inspirations behind his near seven-decade career, particularly the ancient anthology One Thousand and One Nights, designated as the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair’s key text and dubbed “Book of the World” for this year’s event.

One of Fahmy’s most memorable roles was in the Egyptian television adaptation of Alf Leila wa Leila (One Thousand and One Nights), which aired during Ramadan in 1984. Starring as Shahrayar, the despot who spares Scheherazade’s life due to her ability to spin evocative tales, Fahmy was initially hesitant about the character.

“He is portrayed in the text as a vengeful king who killed someone every morning, and I told myself, 'I can't just play him like that,'” he said. “I concluded that the only way viewers would empathise with him – and not condemn him immediately from the onset – is if he secretly loved Scheherazade from the very beginning.”

Fahmy, who first heard stories from One Thousand and One Nights as a child on Egyptian public radio, said the lasting appeal of these tales lies in the freedom they give readers to imagine them in their own way.

“There are various characters in the book that we can all relate to, and they are so open to interpretation that they don't need a director’s vision imposed on them,” he said. “That’s why the work will always endure – and why I believe there will never be a definitive television or film version of it.

“It also goes to show you the power of books – how they allow you to shape your imagination in your own way. You live the story through your mind, not someone else’s vision.”

A contenporary retelling of One Thousand And One Nights by Lebanese author Hanan Al Shaykh. Bloombsury

Screen adaptations like Alf Leila wa Leila, universal in their appeal across the Arab world, are what is currently missing from Egyptian film and television.

“Today, Arab cinema has become too localised,” he continued. “In the past, Egyptian films spoke to all Arabs – you could see yourself in them whether you were from Tunisia, Morocco, Syria or anywhere else. Today, Egyptian films have become so local that they no longer represent the wider Arab audience, and that is a major loss.

“Historical dramas used to be a way to bring people together, but now they face more difficulties. Political sensitivities and historical disagreements often block wider distribution. It has become more difficult to produce them – let alone more expensive. Hence, we are seeing different kinds of stories being produced today.”

The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is running at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre until May 5