Chahine in Focus

A scene from Chahine's most famous and arguably best film, the 1958 Bab El Hadeed (Cairo Station)The American University in Cairo has been hosting a week of Youssef Chahine films (mostly at the new campus,  which is why we've just found out about it). They will be showing Eskinderia...Leih? (Alexandria...Why?) on March 14 and El Youm El Sadis (The Sixth Day) on March 15. Also, the lovely documentary El-Qahira Minawwara bi-Ahlaha (Cairo Illuminated by Its People, titled in English: Cairo as Seen by Chahine) will be showing at the Downtown campus on Tuesday March 16 at 7pm. I saw this years ago and thought it was great (I was told it's never broadcast on Egyptian TV because its depiction of Cairo's crowds and streets is considered unflattering). The screenings are all leading up to the launch of a new book on Chahine's oeuvre, The Arab National Project in Youssef Chahine's Cinema.