Ali Abdel-Khalek

Ali Abdel-Khalek, born June 9, 1944, in the always-buzzing heart of Cairo, was honestly one of those directors who just had a knack for shaking things up in Egyptian cinema. His films? Not your run-of-the-mill stuff. The man actually started off acting, but let’s be real—directing was where he left his biggest mark. He had this way of digging right into Egyptian society, poking at all the things people usually tiptoe around. The 80s were his playground, and he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Sahder el-Samak (1986) and Gary el-Wuhoosh (1987)—yeah, those aren’t just titles, they’re like gritty snapshots of a whole country wrestling with itself. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. Characters in his films were raw, sometimes messy, always real. He liked his stories complicated, with people caught between what they want and what the world’s throwing at them. And El-Wahl (1987)? That’s another one that dives deep into what it means to live with tough choices, never shying away from showing how ugly or beautiful humans can get. Abdel-Khalek’s style didn’t pander to Western tastes either; he made Egyptian stories for Egyptians, full stop. That’s probably why his work still gets tossed around in conversations about the best directors to come out of the region. He passed away September 2, 2022, back in Cairo, where it all started. But honestly, the guy’s films are still out there, kicking up dust and making people uncomfortable in all the right ways.