Bahiga Hafez ( ar, بهيجة حافظ, 13 December 1908 – 4 August 1983) was an Egyptian screenwriter, composer, director, editor, producer and actress.

Personal life

Bahiga Hafez was born and raised in

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

to an aristocratic family with ties to monarchy. Hafez began studying music in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

and later went on to study musical composition in

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, studying piano at the conservatory. Hafez could speak French, Arabic, and other languages. Hafez was a Pacha heiress. After returning to Egypt, she lived in Cairo where she held

literary salon A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host. During the gathering they amuse one another and increase their knowledge through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "e ...

s. Also upon her return to Egypt, Hafez released an album entitled ''Bahiga'' that played on the radio broadcast of the time. In 1930, she starred in the film ''Zeinab'' (1930). This caused her family to disinherit her, since working in cinema was seen as shameful at the time, especially for someone of her social status.

Career

Hafez is often cited as being one of the pioneering women in Egyptian cinema. Bahiga Hafez in ‘Zeinab’ 1930

She started her career in film as an actress, starring in the silent film ''Zeinab'' (1930), directed by

Mohammed Karim Mohammed Karim (1896–1972) ( ar, محمد كريم) was an Egyptian film director, writer, and film producer, producer. Karim brought Faten Hamama to fame in the movie ''Yawm Said''. His 1946 film ''Dunia (1946 film), Dunia'' was entered int ...

, which she also composed the score for. Karim had been searching for a particularly feminine face for the title role, and after meeting Hafez at a party, offered her the role. The film itself was quite popular. Her involvement in this project sparked her interest in working in film. Hafez founded the company Fanar Films in 1932. With Fanar Films, Hafez co-directed the film ''al-Dahaya (1932),'' called "The Victims" in English, in which she also played a major role. She was also the costume designer, composer and editor for the film. She remade the film 3 years later with sound. Hafez's first solo directed film was ''Laila bint al-sahara'' (Laila the Desert Girl),1937 (Alternative title: ''Laila bint al-Badawiyya''), but was not released until 1944 with a new title, ''Layla al-Badawiyya'' (Layla the Bedouin). Hafez worked as director, producer (with Fanar Films), co-screenwriter, composer, and lead actress. The film was to be premiered at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

in 1938 but was banned from playing in Egypt due to its negative depictions of Persians, especially Persian royalty; it was to be released the same year in Egypt as the wedding of the

Shah of Persia Iranian monarchism is the advocacy of restoring the monarchy in Iran, which was abolished after the 1979 Revolution. Historical background Iran first became a constitutional monarchy in 1906, but underwent a period of autocracy during the years ...

and the Princess Fawzia of Egypt. Unfortunately, the film wasn't very successful. After not working in film for quite some time, Hafez was asked by director

Salah Abou Seif Salah Abu Seif ( ar, صلاح أبو سيف, ) (May 10, 1915 – June 23, 1996) was one of the most famous Egyptian film directors, and is considered to be the godfather of Neorealist cinema in Egyptian cinema. Many of the 41 films he direct ...

to star as one of the Princesses in his film '' el Qâhirah talâtîn'' (1966). This marked Hafez's return to cinema, but also her last appearance. Unfortunately, much of her work as a filmmaker has been lost and only the mentions of her work remains. A copy of her film ''al-Dahaya'' was found in 1995.

Tribute

On August 4, 2020,

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celebrated her 112th birthday with a

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Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hafez, Bahiga Egyptian screenwriters Egyptian directors Egyptian composers Egyptian producers Egyptian actresses 1908 births 1983 deaths Egyptian women film directors People from Alexandria 20th-century screenwriters