Egypt’s Wahid Hamed: ‘I wouldn’t have been here without your love and support’

BY

Angy Essam

-

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 - 01:53 GMT

BY

Angy Essam

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 - 01:53 GMT

File: Wahid Hamed.

File: Wahid Hamed.

CAIRO - 3 December 2020: The 42nd edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) opened amid strict precautionary measures, and in accordance to the requirements presented by the Egyptian ministry of health and the World Health Organization.

 

CIFF presnted this year Lifetime  Achievement Award to veteran writer Wahid Hamed.

The award was presented to Hamed by acclaimed director Sherif Arafa who expressed how is lucky to present this award to Hamed.


“ I really miss working with him we all learned from him a lot” Arafa said.

Wahid Hamed thanked god, and thanked all the attendees  because they love cinema adding that he loves cinema a lot.

“ I wouldn’t have been here without your love and support” Hamed said.

The veteran Egyptian writer thanked the late great Youssef Cherif Rizkallah, director Mostafa Abo Hatab and Samir Khafaga.

“ I lived in a beautiful era full of veterans and worked with great directors like Samir Seif and Atef el Tayeb” Hamed said.

Hamed thanked his friend who he worked with a lot Sherif Arafa.

“ I love you all and would like to thank my son Mohamed Hefzy” Hamed said.

 

Hamed said that he worked with actresses from different generations like Yousra, Mona Zaki, Nabila Ebeid and Menna Shalaby.

 “I wish Egypt to continue glowing with art and cinema” Hamed said.



CIFF head Mohamed Hefzy said that this year housed exceptional cinematic incident.

“  We will present an appreciation certificate to Egyptian director Samah Alaa who made historical achievement for Egyptian cinema, his short movie” I am Afraid To Forget Your Face was the first Egyptian movie to win the Palm D’or from Cannes Film Festival” Hefzy said.



Acclaimed writer Christopher Hampton said it was his absolute joy to make the opening ceremony film “ The Father”.

 “ It is the third film I make with Anthony Hopkins” Hampton said, hoping that all the attendees will enjoy watching this movie.



Cairo International Film Festival will organize a seminar for veteran Egyptian writer Wahid Hamed on December 6.

 

The seminar which will carry the name of “ Falahna el Faseeh” will be moderated by cinema critic Tarek el Shenawy.

 

Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) will be honoring Egyptian screenwriter Wahid Hamed in the opening ceremony of its 42nd edition with the Golden Pyramid Award for Lifetime Achievement for a career that spanned over five decades, during which he wrote over 40 films and 30 television and radio series, most of them garnering commercial and critical success.

 
His works have won numerous awards in festivals locally and internationally. Two of his films
were picked for the acclaimed list of the best 100 Egyptian films in the 20th century; Sherif
Arafa’s ‘Al-Laab Maa al-Kobar’ (Playing with Giants, 1991) and Atef El-Tayeb’s ‘Al-Baree’
(The Innocent, 1985).
 
The list was based on a poll of Egyptian critics under the supervision of the late Saad Eddin Wahba, director of the CIFF’s 20th edition.
 
Mr. Hamed has added a lot of weight to the title of “screenwriter” in Egypt, said Mr. Mohamed Hefzy, CIFF’s current director.
 
Thanks to him, the profession has gained greater splendour and importance, added  Hefzy, pointing to the fact that Mr. Hamed is also a seasoned producer who allows full creative-space for the directors he works with.
 
 Hefzy added that the festival is proud to grant Mr. Hamed this award, the festival’s biggest and most important prize, during the upcoming edition.
 
The Golden Pyramid Honorary Award, previously the Faten Hamama award, recognises the filmmakers’ lifetime achievement.
 
The new name reflects the award’s significance since the Golden Pyramid has been the festival’s icon since its inception in 1976.
 
The festival’s Supreme Advisory Committee unanimously selected Mr. Hamed to be the first
to be honored with the award in its new form, to acknowledge his invaluable contribution to the Egyptian cinema industry, filmmakers and audiences.
 
The committee was also keen to keep Faten Hamama, an icon of Egyptian cinema, present
in the festival's awards through the Faten Hamama Prize for Excellence.
 
“The best praise is that which comes from the heart. The appreciation of friends, colleagues and anyone who’s found joy in my work has always been enough for me,” Mr. Hamed said
upon hearing news of the award. “I would like to thank the festival for recognizing my long career that’s been full of love for the nation and for writing,” he added.
 
“I was and still am loyal to the Egyptian street. Throughout my journey with writing, the people have inspired me. It’s their ideas that I’ve recreated in my work. That’s why I’m
always elated when people tell me they grew up with my films. That’s when I feel that I didn’t slack off and that I really gave people something worthwhile.
 
I was always true to my work. I never wrote a word unless I was totally convinced. I learned
early on that the secret to dealing with people is to be honest with them. I never deceived
them. I chose justice to be the main theme in my work,” Hamed continued.
 
Wahid Hamed is considered one of Egypt’s most renowned writers.
 
He was born on July 1, 1944, in Sharqia governorate. Hamed received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in the late 1960s, before embarking on a career in screenwriting. 


His first strong and successful work was "Ahlam al-Fata al-Taer" (Dreams of the Flying Boy) released in 1978. This famous television series was the start of his longtime cooperation with the legendary Egyptian actor Adel Emam. Since then, both Hamed and Emam began an artistic partnership that produced many iconic, unforgettable films. 


Among their most famous movies together is "Al-Erhab wel Kabab" (Terrorism and Kebab) in 1992, which is a black comedy discussing government corruption and the sufferings of the middle class in Egypt. 

The duo also worked together on, "Al-Ghoul" (The Ogre) in 1983, and “Toyour al-Zalam” (The Birds of Darkness) in 1995, which tackled political corruption in Egypt and the appearance of the Muslim Brotherhood at the time. 

Their most known collaboration took place in the famous controversial movie "Omaret Yacoubian" (The Yacoubian Building) in 2006, which was the first long feature movie for Hamed's son, Marwan Hamed, as a director. 

Hamed also wrote the controversial movie "Al-Baree’" (The Innocent) in 1997; a movie that conveyed a controversial political message which made Hamed face a long censorship battle. "Al-Baree’" was screened 19 years post its production and only after the ending was changed. 

In 2002, Hamed wrote the political comedy movie "Ma’ali al-Wazeer" (The Minister) again tackling government corruption. 

Hamed received numerous awards from many film festivals. He was awarded for his movies "Al-Le’eb Ma’al Kobar" (Playing with Big People) in 1991, "Ehky ya Scheherazade" (Tell the Story, Scheherazade) in 2009, and "Ot W Far" (Cat and Mouse) in 2015. 

His last television series "Al-Gama’a" (The Brotherhood) in 2010, and "Return of Al-Gama’a" in 2017, tackled the history and impact of the Muslim Brotherhood, since its emergence, on Egypt. 

Hamed also established a production company titled Wahid Hamed Film Productions, to produce his and others’ works. He has worked alongside many veteran Egyptian directors in over 40 films and numerous TV series including Yousry Nasrallah, Atef al-Tayeb and Sherif Arafa, among others.

 

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