Mohammed Fadel

Mohammed Fadel (name also spelled Muhammad Fadil) is a veteran Egyptian television and film director. Fadel, along with Osama Anwar Okasha and Inaam Mohamed Ali, is credited in Egypt for establishing the genre of Egyptian dramatic serial television.[1] He is considered a "godfather" of Egyptian television serials.[2]

Fadel began his career in the 1950s in radio.[3] He wrote a number of television series in the 1960s and 1970s, the most notable of which was the comedic soap opera Al-Qahira wa-l-nas ("Cairo and the People"), which was themed on modernity and cultural authenticity. Divided into half-hour segments, the show was similar to American sitcom television, making it unique in Egyptian media during its time.[4] He also directed the Ramadan soap operas Abna'i Al-A'izza', Shukran ("Dear Children, Thank You") in the late 1970s, Rihlat El-Sayyid Abul-Ela El-Bishri ("The Journey of Mr Abul-Ela El-Bishri") in the 1980s,[5] Li Dawa'i Amniya ("For Security Measures") in 2005,[6] and Sekket el-Hilali ("El-Hilali's Path") in 2006.[5]

His reputation was significantly raised with his television series "White Flag" (1989), written by Okasha. The show was set in Alexandria and dealt with Egypt's wide income disparity, criminals-turned-wealthy and Egyptian high life.[7] Fadel directed the 1982 romance film Hobb fil Zinzana ("Love in the Prison Cell") starring Soad Hosny,[8] the first films on Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in Nasser 56 (1996) starring Ahmed Zaki,[9] and Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum in the 1999 film Kawkab al-Sharq ("Star of the Orient").[10] The latter starred Fadel's wife, veteran actress Ferdous Abdel-Hamid.[11]

References

  1. ↑ El-Assyouti, Mohamed. When less was more. Al-Ahram Weekly. 2005-11-02.
  2. ↑ El-Assyouti, Mohamed. Lunar transmissions. Al-Ahram Weekly. 2005-11-12.
  3. ↑ Abouissa, Mona. Behind the microphone. Al-Ahram Weekly. 2008-10-05.
  4. ↑ Armbrust, 1996, p. 16.
  5. 1 2 Mustafa, Hani. Soap and sin. Al-Ahram Weekly. 2006-11-18.
  6. ↑ El-Assyouti, Mohamed. Mixed bag. Al-Ahram Weekly. 2006-09-06.
  7. ↑ Asante, 2002, pp. 121-122.
  8. ↑ El-Assyouti, Mohamed. Action-hero dynasties. Al-Ahram Weekly. 2005-03-25.
  9. ↑ Hammond, 2007, p. 20.
  10. ↑ Hammond, 2007, p. 167.
  11. ↑ El-Bishlawi, Khairiya. A woman for all seasons. Al-Ahram Weekly. 1999-06-16.

Bibliography

  • Armbrust, Walter (1996), Mass Culture and Modernism in Egypt, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521484923 
  • Asante, Molefi K. (2002), Culture and Customs of Egypt, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 9780313317408 
  • Hammond, Andrew (2007), Popular Culture in the Arab World: Arts, Politics, and the Media, American University in Cairo Press, ISBN 9789774160547 
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