Khaled Youssef: Youssef Chahine Is Half the History of Egyptian Cinema
Director Khaled Youssef pays heartfelt tribute to legendary filmmaker Youssef Chahine at the El Gouna Film Festival, calling him the most important figure in Arab cinema history.
Egyptian director Khaled Youssef expressed his deep admiration and pride during the opening of the Youssef Chahine Exhibition at the El Gouna Film Festival’s eighth edition, describing the tribute as a well-deserved celebration of an icon who shaped generations of filmmakers.
In his remarks, Youssef said:
“The festival made the right choice by celebrating Youssef Chahine’s centenary. He’s the most important figure in our cinematic history. Not because I was his student, but because it’s simply the truth. Youssef Chahine started in 1950 — that’s half the history of Egyptian cinema.”
He emphasized that Chahine didn’t just leave behind timeless films, but also nurtured entire generations of directors such as Hussein Kamal, Ali Badrakhan, and Yousry Nasrallah, giving new talents opportunities and believing in their creative potential.
Youssef added:
“There’s no successor to Youssef Chahine, and there never will be. He used to tell me: ‘I’m teaching you to make your own cinema, not to imitate mine.’ My vision and my era are different — we all continue his legacy, but no one can replace him.”
Khaled Youssef’s most recent film, El Eskandarany, follows a dramatic story set during a powerful storm in Cairo that traps a group of people in a café, where tension rises as they discover a murder among them.
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