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Film Archive

Alexandria... Why?

Tribute to Youssef Chahine 2019 / Eskanderija... lih? / Egypt 1978

Winner of a Silver Bear at the Berlinale, this is one of Chahine’s most popular movies abroad: a grand autobiographical ode to pre-WW2 cosmopolitan Alexandria centering on a young actor (standing in for Chahine) who dreams of studying acting in the United States. Whimsical, multi-layered and utterly invigorating, this loving, crowd-pleasing panorama of Chahine’s birthplace meticulously reconstructs an Alexandria known by few outside Egypt.

Alexandria... Why? Alexandria... Why?

Synopsis

Winner of a Silver Bear at the Berlinale, this is one of Chahine’s most popular movies abroad: a grand autobiographical ode to pre-WW2 cosmopolitan Alexandria that centers on a young actor (standing in for Chahine) who dreams of studying acting in the United States. Whimsical, multi-layered and utterly invigorating, this loving, crowd-pleasing panorama of Chahine’s birthplace – featuring some of Egypt’s biggest stars of the time – meticulously reconstructs an Alexandria known by few outside Egypt.

Joseph Fahim

About the film

125 min / Color, Black & White, DCP

Director Youssef Chahine / Screenplay Youssef Chahine, Mohsen Zayed, Hassan Abdel Rabo / Dir. of Photography Mohsen Nasr / Music Fouad El-Zahery / Editor Rashida Abdel Salam / Art Director Nehad Bahgat / Producer Youssef Chahine / Production Misr International Films / Cast Mohsen Mohy El Deen, Farid Shawky, Naglaa Fathy, Ezzat El-Alaily, Mahmoud El-Meligy / Sales Misr International Films

Contacts

Misr International Films
35 Champollion Street, , Cairo
Egypt
Phone: +20 122 2117478
E-mail: [email protected]

Guests

Marianne Khoury

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