Today (Oct. 26) marks the 81st birth anniversary of legendary director Mohamed Khan, whose contribution to Egyptian cinema is immense.
In a career that spanned over 40 years, he directed more than 35 shorts and feature-length films.
Born in 1942 in Cairo to a Pakistani father and an Egyptian mother, Khan developed an interest in cinema at an early age. However, as he often said, he did not know that filmmaking could be taught.
Following his passion, he traveled in 1956 to London to study architecture, only to change his interests and study film; a very fortunate moment for Arab and world cinema.
In 1963, the young filmmaker returned to Cairo to work with Salah Abu Seif and Raafat El-Meehy, as well as other prominent scriptwriters and directors, only to travel back to London after Egypt’s 1967 military defeat against Israel.
Before returning to Cairo in 1977, Khan pursued the academic study of cinema and wrote two books; one about Egyptian cinema and the other about cinema in Czechoslovakia.
Throughout his long-standing career, Khan made several short films such as El-Batikha (The Watermelon, 1972), a 10-minute guide to the "Cinema of Mohamed Khan," from which we can conclude how characters like Shams the photojournalist in Darbet Shams (Sunstroke, 1978), the street footballer in El-Hareef (The Artful,1984), Hend and Camilia (Dreams of Hind and Camilia, 1988), Hayam in Fatat El-Masnaa (Factory Girl, 2014), and Salah in Mr. Karate (1993) were molded into life.
The late director received many accolades including, Bronze Award at the Valencia Film Fest in 1988, Silver Award at the Damascus Film Festival in 1987, and Best Direction from the Egyptian Film Society Festival in 199.
His last work was 'Fatat El-Masna' (The Factory Girl), where Maha El-Rayes (Hayam) watches the beautiful Soad Hosni on TV, abandons a classist patriarchal lover, and pays the price.
He died on 26 July 2016, at the age of 73.
On His special day, here are some timeless classics of the late legendary director below:
Ayyam El-Sadat (The Days of Sadat 2001)
Ayyam El-Sadat, released in 2001, is an Egyptian film directed by Mohamed Khan and written by Ahmed Bahgat. It stars Ahmed Zaki, Mervat Amin, Mona Zaki, Mokhles El-Behiry, Essad Younis, Ahmed el-Sakka, and Salwa Osman. Critics have acclaimed Ahmed Zaki's performance in the role of the former Egyptian president Sadat, considering it as one of his greatest cinematic performances. This was Zaki's second biographical work, after having portrayed Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956.
Zawgat Ragol Mohem (The Wife of an Important Man, 1987)
Zawgat Ragol Mohem, released in 1987, is another film directed by Mohamed Khan. It stars Mervat Amin, Ahmed Zaki, Hassan Hosny, and Zizi Mustafa. The film was nominated for the Golden Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1987. It also won the Silver Award at the Damascus Film Festival in the same year. Zawgat Ragol Mohem is one of three films by Khan- alongside Ahlam Hind wa Camilia and El-Harreef- that were named among the 100 Greatest Arab Films of All Time by the Dubai International Film Festival.
El-Harreef (The Street Player, 1984)
El-Harreef, released in 1984, was written and directed by Mohamed Khan. It stars Adel Imam, Fardous Abdel Hamid, and Nagah El-Mogui. The film won an award for Best Direction at the Egyptian Film Society Festival in 1985. El-Harreef is one of three films by Khan- alongside Zawgat Ragol Mohem and Ahlam Hind wa Camilia- that were named among the 100 Greatest Arab Films of All Time by the Dubai International Film Festival.
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