Khaled El Hagar
Encyclopedia
Multi award winning Egyptian film director, Khaled El Hagar is one of Egypt's most controversial movie makers.
He studied law at Cairo University
and has worked in film since 1985. His first short film, You Are My Life (1985), won best film award at the Oberhausen
festival. He then completed a postgraduate degree at the National Film and Television School, and directed his second short film, "Doody's Dream". His first feature, "Little Dreams", was screened at 37 festivals and won awards at Birmingham
, Amiens
, and FESPACO in Burkina Faso
.
He moved to Birmingham, UK, in the 1990s, and has become well known on the film scene in the city, screening new films and collecting awards in the Birmingham International Film Festival. Recent years have seen a growing acceptance in Cairo, where he has been filming regularly, producing multi-award winning movies, and becoming established as an important Director in the Arabic world.
ROOM TO RENT, starring Juliette Lewis
and French actor Said Taghmaoui
, first brought Khaled's talents to the attention of the international film world.
The depth and the range of his films resonates powerfully with audiences, embracing multiple cultures and genres, and including comedy, dance, musicals and contemporary dramas.
The New York African Diaspora Film Festival 2009 honoured his work with a retrospective of his major films .
Already in receipt of 27 national and international film awards, Khaled El Hagar is among the most significant Egyptian filmmakers of the past two decades.
His graduation film "A GULF BETWEEN US", set in 1991 London during the Gulf War
, caused an uproar in the Egyptian press when it was shown in Cairo in 1995. Khaled, who not only directed, but also starred in the film, was accused of promoting normalisation with Israel and could not return to Egypt until 2003.
ROOM TO RENT a comedy drama made in 2001, was his first feature as writer/director. It has won numerous awards, four of them for Best Film.
"ELEMENTS OF MINE" a modern drama dance in English was shot in Berlin with choreographer Norbert Servos and cinematographer Andrew Catlin
. The film won the First Prize - Moving Pictures Festival, Toronto (MoPix Award 2004).
He is married to Janice Rider, a freelance film/tv costume designer(ex BBC) . Their son, Adam, is an actor and musician.
In development: MOMO THE HERO & THE LADY VAMPIRE OF PIGALLE for producer Mark Shivas (Perpetual Motion Pictures) and SEX FOR
HAPPINESS with Roger Shannon (Swish Productions/Screen West Midlands).
In December 2010 his most recent film El Shooq (Lust)
won the Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film at Cairo's International Film Festival. It was the only Egyptian film in competition and the first time Egypt had won this award in 14 years. The film has been selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 84th Academy Awards
.
He studied law at Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
and has worked in film since 1985. His first short film, You Are My Life (1985), won best film award at the Oberhausen
Oberhausen
Oberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
festival. He then completed a postgraduate degree at the National Film and Television School, and directed his second short film, "Doody's Dream". His first feature, "Little Dreams", was screened at 37 festivals and won awards at Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, and FESPACO in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
.
He moved to Birmingham, UK, in the 1990s, and has become well known on the film scene in the city, screening new films and collecting awards in the Birmingham International Film Festival. Recent years have seen a growing acceptance in Cairo, where he has been filming regularly, producing multi-award winning movies, and becoming established as an important Director in the Arabic world.
ROOM TO RENT, starring Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...
and French actor Said Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui is a French actor and screenwriter. One of his defining screen roles was that of Saïd in the award winning 1995 French film La Haine directed by Mathieu Kassovitz...
, first brought Khaled's talents to the attention of the international film world.
The depth and the range of his films resonates powerfully with audiences, embracing multiple cultures and genres, and including comedy, dance, musicals and contemporary dramas.
The New York African Diaspora Film Festival 2009 honoured his work with a retrospective of his major films .
Already in receipt of 27 national and international film awards, Khaled El Hagar is among the most significant Egyptian filmmakers of the past two decades.
His graduation film "A GULF BETWEEN US", set in 1991 London during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, caused an uproar in the Egyptian press when it was shown in Cairo in 1995. Khaled, who not only directed, but also starred in the film, was accused of promoting normalisation with Israel and could not return to Egypt until 2003.
ROOM TO RENT a comedy drama made in 2001, was his first feature as writer/director. It has won numerous awards, four of them for Best Film.
"ELEMENTS OF MINE" a modern drama dance in English was shot in Berlin with choreographer Norbert Servos and cinematographer Andrew Catlin
Andrew Catlin
Andrew Catlin is an English photographer, artist, director, and cinematographer. Psychology graduate, portrait and documentary photographer and film maker. His work has been widely published, and is held in collections, books, exhibitions and archives....
. The film won the First Prize - Moving Pictures Festival, Toronto (MoPix Award 2004).
He is married to Janice Rider, a freelance film/tv costume designer(ex BBC) . Their son, Adam, is an actor and musician.
In development: MOMO THE HERO & THE LADY VAMPIRE OF PIGALLE for producer Mark Shivas (Perpetual Motion Pictures) and SEX FOR
HAPPINESS with Roger Shannon (Swish Productions/Screen West Midlands).
In December 2010 his most recent film El Shooq (Lust)
Lust (film)
Lust is a 2011 Egyptian drama film directed by Khaled El Hagar. The film has been selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards.-See also:...
won the Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film at Cairo's International Film Festival. It was the only Egyptian film in competition and the first time Egypt had won this award in 14 years. The film has been selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the best films of 2011 and will take place on February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. The host was originally going to be Eddie Murphy. However, after Brett Ratner resigned as...
.