Egypt's best-known filmmaker, Youssef Chahine, died in Cairo today after suffering a brain haemorrhage and being in a coma for six weeks, much of that time in France.
Born Gabriel Youssef to a Greek Orthodox family of Lebanese origin in Alexandria in 1926, Chahine attended the prestigious Victoria College, where the Palestinian-American author Edward Said was among his classmates.
His departure to study filmmaking in the United States against the backdrop of the Second World War - a move he undertook despite strong opposition from his family, notably his businessman father - was to be brilliantly dramatised in Eskendereyya leh (Alexandria Why, 1979), the first part of an autobiographical trilogy widely regarded as his definitive statement on the cosmopolitan identity of his birthplace and the international sense of community he sought.
His first movie, Baba Amine (Father Honest, 1949), shocked what until then was a sheltered audience with its unhappy ending: an innocent man is hanged.
With his next film, Ibn an Nil (Son of the Nile, 1951), began what became a lifelong relationship with the Cannes Film Festival.
Chahine never won the Cannes Palme d'Or, but in 1997 received a lifetime achievement award. A regular feature of the international festival scene - more than such Egyptian contemporaries as Hassan al Imam and Salah abu Seif - he acquired the sobriquet "international director".
He was the Arab world's first self-styled auteur and was often referred to as the Ustaz, an Arabic title meaning master or professor.
It was Bab al Hadid (Iron Gate, 1958) - which is the name of Cairo's main railway station - featuring Hind Rustum, the Egyptian counterpart of Marylin Monroe, that made his name.
Chahine was among the first to work with actors Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama, icons of the Egyptian screen. He was noted as much for his stunning acting performances as for his directorial prowess.
He was artistically versatile and politically adaptable, producing such big-budget historical dramas as An Nasser Salahuddin (Saladin the Victor, 1963) - in which the Ayyubid liberator of Jerusalem stood in for Gamal abdel Nasser in the conflict with Israel - and provocative documentaries like El Qahira Menawara bi Ahlaha (Cairo Is Blessed With its People, 1991).
This last was a harsh critique of contemporary Egyptian society and the spread of conservatism and marked his association with Kefaya (Enough), an opposition movement.
By 1999, many critics, including myself, were unhappy with Chahine's progressively less sophisticated attempts at reaching out to a broader audience, but while interviewing him about Al Akhar (The Other, 1999) the septuagenarian proved so warm, funny and engaging it became hard to criticise anything he had done.
Chahine was to complete two more films in the same quasi-commercial vein, but after his health deteriorated, it was left to his most prolific disciple, Khaled Youssef, to complete Chahine's last movie, Heya Fawda (Is It Chaos), last year.
Chahine had no children. He is survived not only by his wife, Colette, but by literally thousands of students, admirers and protégés.
Khaled Youssef was only one of the many filmmakers - including, notably, Youssri Nassrallah - not to mention actors, who came out of the Ustaz's coat.
Misr International Films, the production company Chahine founded in 1972, which later bought out and refurbished many Cairo theatres, was to spawn generations of artists, becoming a kind of alternative film institute and developing a critical mass of its own.
His funeral is to be held at Cairo's Greek Catholic Cathedral tomorrow, after which he is to be buried in his family's crypt in Alexandria.
@email:yrakha@thenational.ae
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
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Winner: Tabarak, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer)
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Winner: North America, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
The specs
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More on animal trafficking
Specs
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RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The years Ramadan fell in May
Brief scores:
QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1
Company%20profile
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5