Hasan El-Saifi (; 1927–2005) was an Egyptian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

, and

screenplay writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

. He worked on nearly 150 Egyptian films. He has various name spellings in English due to

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

, most commonly Hassan el-Saifi, Hassan El-Seify, and Hassan al-Saifi.

Biography

Hasan El-Saifi was born on January 13, 1927 in Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt. El-Saifi started his career in film in 1946, by working as an assistant director under

Helmy Rafla Helmy Rafla (May 15, 1909 – April 22, 1978; ar, حلمي رفلة) was an Egyptian film director, screenwriter, film producer, and make-up artist. He is considered one the most prominent Egyptian filmmakers. Biography Helmy Rafla was born ...

, and Anwar Wagdi. By 1952, El-Saifi was able to establish his own film production company. His first directed film was named, ''Bear Witness, People'' (released 20 April 1953 in Egypt). His most notable film he directed was ''Samara'' (1956), starring

Taheyya Kariokka Taheyya Kariokka ( ar, تحية كاريوكا) also Tahiya Carioca (born Badaweya Mohamed Kareem Ali Elnedany), (February 22, 1915 – September 20, 1999) was an Egyptian belly dancer and film actress. Early life Born in the Egyptia ...

and

Mohsen Sarhan Mohsen Sarhan ( ar, محسن سرحان) (6 January 1914 in Port Said – 7 February 1993 in Cairo) was an Egyptian actor in multiple films and as part of the National Troupe. Biography One of his performances as part of the National Troupe recei ...

. In the 1970s, he moved to Lebanon (an area later known as Syria) for a few years, where he directed several films. He died on March 25, 2005 in Cairo, after suffering from a heart attack.

Personal life and family

In the 1950s he was married to Egyptian-born Greek actress and dancer (sometimes known as Katie Voutsakis, Kitty or Keti), which ended in divorce. He later married Egyptian actress

Zahrat El-Ola Zahrat El-Ola (10 June 1934 – 18 December 2013) was an Egyptian actress, and was the second wife of Salah Zulfikar. She was famous for her roles in light comedies and drama in the 1950s and 1960s. She is one of the iconic actresses in Egypt. E ...

, a second marriage for both of them. Together with Zahrat El-Ola they had two children, their daughter Manal El-Saifi is a film director. Both of his wives starred in his films.

Filmography

* ''Bear Witness, People'' (1953; ), as director * ''Lady Pickpocket'' (1953; ), as director * '' Injustice Is Forbidden'' (1954; ), as director, and screenplay writer * ''Samara'' (1956; ), as director * ' (1956; ), as director * ' (), as director * ''

The Poor Millionaire ''The Poor Millionaire'' is a 1930 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and starring Richard Talmadge, Constance Howard and George Irving. Made after the sound film revolution, it was the last Hollywood film to be released w ...

'' (1959; ar, المليونير الفقير, translit=Al-Milyunayr Al-Faqir), as director * ''Ismail Yassine in Prison'' (1961; ), as director * ''The Judge of Love'' (1962), as director * '' The Comic Society for Killing Wives'' (1962; ), as director * ''The Black Suitcase'' (1962; ), as director * ''King of Petroleum'' (1962; ), as director * ''Fugitive from Marriage'' (1964; ) * ' (1964) (), as director * ''The Two Friends'' (1970; ), as director, and screenplay writer * ''Forbidden on Wedding Night'' (1974; ) * ''Hadi Badi'' (1984; ), as director * ''Love and Fate'' (1995; ), as director

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:El-Saifi, Hasan 1927 births 2005 deaths Egyptian film directors Egyptian film producers Egyptian screenwriters People from Cairo 20th-century Egyptian people