Magda Wassef

Festival president

Arab cinema critic and historian

In 1983, she obtains a PHD in Cinema and History from l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS). In 1978, she obtains a DEA from the same school (EHESS), in 1976 the Studies diploma in Cinematographic research from the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris and in 1968 a BS???? in Business Administration from Cairo University in Egypt.

From 1978 to 1988, Wassef has occupied the position of editor for the Cinema pages in the weekly Al Mostqbal in Paris.

From 1988 to 2008, she headed the cinema department at the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris. She was also General delegate of the Arab cinemas Biennale in Paris from 1992 to 2006, date of the eighth and last edition.

She has taught Arab Cinema at la Sorbonne and has participated to various radio and television programs in France. She has published numerous studies on Arab Cinema among which several Arab and French cinematographic reviews.

As artistic curator of the exhibition Egypt: One Hundred Years of Cinema, she organized from October 1995 to February 1996 at the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris. She supervised the work Egypt: One Hundred Years of Cinema (co-published by IMA and Plume editions) which was awarded the prize of The Art Book and Essay in 1996. She also co-supervised with Salah Mare the book Chadi Abdel Salam, the Pharaoh of Egyptian Cinema, in Paris 1995.

Artistic advisor and collaborator to several international festivals, among which Cannes Film Festival since 2004, where she coordinated the homage paid to Egypt as a country invited by Cannes Festival in 2011. She also collaborated on Cairo’s International Film Festival since 1985 where she’s also part of the artistic bureau since 2009.

Wassef has been part of several CNC commissions as Le FondsSud, the Images of Diversity Commission and the Aide to distribution of films for the young public, etc.

She has represented UNESCO in several international cinematographic meetings and has participated to juries in international and Arab film festivals.

She is currently preparing a retrospective on Egyptian cinema at the CinemathequeFrancaise for june2012, in collaboration with the National Centre for Cinema in Egypt.

Mohamed El Kalioubi

Festival artistic advisor

Director, screenwriter, cinema historian and critic

An engineer by formation, El Kalioubi studied cinema at Cairo’s Higher Institute for Cinema before joining the VIGIK in Moscow where he discusses his PHD dissertation in 1986.

Screenwriter of his own movies, he has directed three feature films, 1993: Three on the Road (Talata Al Tarik),1994: Why does the Sea Laugh? (El Bahr BeyedhakLeh?), 2004: Adam’s autumn (Kharif Adam).

He also directed numerous documentaries among which: Mohamed Bayumi, Chronicle of a Lost Time and Rosa El Youssef as well as various television dramas.

His first two films have won great acclaim and were very successful at the box-office. They were awarded several national and international prizes.

Daoud Abdel Sayed

Festival artistic advisor

Director and screenwriter

With a degree in directing from Cairo’s Higher Institute for Cinema in 1967, he worked as assistant director to Youssef Chahine and Kamal El Sheikh among others. He directed several short films and documentaries before signing his first fiction feature film: The Louts (Al Saalik) in 1985. 1991: Kit Kat (Al Kit Kat). 1993: In search of Said Marzouk (Al BahsAn Said Marzouk)

1995: Dreamland (Ard al Ahlam). 1995: The Joy Thief (Sarek al Farah).

2000: Land of Fear (Ard Al Khof). 2001: A citizen, an Informer and a Thief ( Mowaten, MokhberWaHarami). 2009: Messages from the Sea (Rassael Al Bahr).

An engaged and demanding director, Dawoud Abdel Sayed is one of the most original authors of Egyptian Cinema. A perfectionist, he only directed 8 films in a quarter of a century. Several of his films are adaptations of contemporary literary writers, in particular Ibrahim Aslan for Kit Kat and Messages from the Sea and KhairiShalabi for Dreamland. In this unique film the great actress Faten Hamama carries all the weight of the scenario which takes place during the Saint Sylvester night.

From one film to the next, he explores the inner workings of the human soul in these troubled times, yet he always takes the side of life and optimism.

Youssef Cherif Rizkallah

Festival artistic advisor

Cinema critic

He obtained a degree in Economy and Political science from Cairo University in 1966. He was editor then editor in chief of Arabic language TV News in the Egyptian television.

From 1997 to 2002, he headed the Nile International Channel.

From 2007 to 2011, he headed the International Cooperation department in Media City.

In February 2011, he was promoted General Manager of the Cinema Organism in Media City.

Since 1964, he became a cinema critic and has published numerous articles and studies in various newspapers and magazines.

He was president of Cairo’s Film Association from 1978 to 1994.

In 1975, he created the Cine-Club TV program at the Egyptian Television, and in 1980 another show called Oscar.

Artistic secretary of Cairo’s International Film Festival since 1978, he became its artistic director in 2002. He regularly presents cinematographic programs at the Egyptian TV, among which: Stars and Films (Nogoom We Aflam) (1980-1981), Telecinema (1981-1995), Star (1986-1994), Cinema…Cinema (1994-2004), The Magic Lamp (Al Fanus Al Sehri) (2008-2010), Cinema Rizkallah (2008-2010). He also habitually carries out the daily TV coverage of Cairo’s Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival as well as other film festival throughout the world which he has been attending since the 1960’s: Berlin, Moscow, KarloviVari, San Sebastian, Montreal, Venice, Montpellier, Nantes, Dubai, Abu Dhabi.

He has participated in the jury of several film festivals as in Strasburg (1987), Milano (1993) and Rotterdam (2006).

Salma EL Shamaa

Festival artistic advisor

Journalist and TV host

Salma El Shamaa started her career as a journalist at Al-Ahram daily. In the beginning of the 1970’s she joined the Egyptian television as a presenter and launched an entertainment program which became a huge success El Nadi El Dawli (The international Club). She also hosted an important political talk show called A Friend from Africa where she met with African heads of states. She then went on to present a series of cinema programs

among which Zoom and Zakerat Al Cinema (The Memory of Cinema) which became emblematic. She contributed through her work to create awareness on cinematic issues and to influence the cinema industry. Salma succeeded in convincing the authorities of the urgency to restore classical films which were in danger of disappearing.

At the end of the 70’s, she left for Paris, France where she worked as a journalist in Radio Monte-Carlo. During her stay in Paris she collaborated with Michel Drucker and Frederic Rossif. In 1983, she was invited by Egyptian TV president to prepare and present a big show with poet Salah Jahin and director Fahmi Abdel Hamid Called Kashcool.

In 1985, Salma is called to return to Radio Monte Carlo in Paris due to the success of their first collaboration.  She then presented to big shows on Egypt: On the Banks of the River Nile and They said About Egypt. In 1993, back in Cairo, she participates to the inauguration of the first Egyptian satellite channel with a program called Mokasarat Salma El Shamaa.

In 1997, Salma became president of thematic entertainment channel in the Arab World Nile Variety. She conceives and creates the channel which became a huge local and regional success. She trained a whole generation of TV present and constituted a real school for media and new talents. It is the generation she has formed which is now at the commands of the new private Egyptian TV channels.

Gamal Zayda

Festival media & press advisor

Political journalist

He has obtained a BA in Mass Communication from Cairo University in 1976.

Editing director of Al Ahram daily, he is also a political thought columnist. Each week he also writes a chronicle in Al Ahram Massai (the evening Ahram) and another one in the economic weekly Al Ahram al Iqtisadi. He has been assistant editor in chief of Al Ahram.

From 2002 to 2007, he headed Al Ahram bureau in Canada

where he published articles and interviews on major events in Canada and the United States and has met with politicians, deputies as well as members of the civil society and NGOs. He also collaborates with Al Khaleej daily (the Golf) at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates where he analyses the economic and financial development of Dubai, in the UAE, and in the general Golf zone.

Wadid Shokri

Festival administrative director

Director of photography

He obtained a B. SC. in Photography Cinematography & Video from the faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University, Egypt in 1978. He also studied Egyptology. From 1978 to 1981 he was a cameraman at the Egyptian television.

From 1981 to 1999, he joined Kodak Egypt where he managed the photography professional market as well as the laboratory and photo printing.

As marketing director, he contributed to the expansion of Kodak’s photo development activities in Egypt through the promotion of Kodak’s program of franchise concepts before launching Kodak Express in Egypt. This program covered all domains, from training, financial arrangements and configuring the site, to promotion and marketing strategies.

In 1992, he succeeded in consolidating relations with business publishing professionals. For a period of 7 years, from 1992 to 1999, sales in this sector of activity have quadrupled and the ties with professional photography and graphic arts were strengthened.

Acknowledging his contribution to the company, and for attaining the highest volume of sales and best performances in the region, Kodak has invited Shokri to the Olympic games of Atlanta in 1996.

His last position in Kodak Egypt was as Business Unit Manager for development, photo printing and digital imaging. During his career in Kodak Egypt, he received various technical trainings in management, marketing programs, photo printing, professional digital imaging, museums and archives, publishing and printing of graphic arts and areal systems. These workshops were organized in Egypt, at Kodak Rochester in the States, in Great Britain, in Australia, in France and Germany.

He is currently organizing training workshops in photography and digital imaging, adapted to the needs of professionals and amateurs in Egypt and the Golf countries. He is also undertaking specialized research in archeological photographic documentation and digital museum archiving.