Alexandria Says Farewell to Chahine
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Alexandria—
Youssef Chahine, the 82-year-old celebrated moviemaker, passed away in Cairo four weeks after he slipped into a coma following a brain hemorrhage. His funeral took place in Cairo's Greek Catholic cathedral on Monday, 28 July 2008 and he was buried with his family in Alexandria.
Born in 1926 to a Christian family of Syrian, Lebanese, Greek and Italian roots, Chahine `s unrivalled passions remained devoted to the city of his birth, Alexandria. He attended the prestigious Victoria College and, in 1964, pursued his dreams in California where he studied drama and acting at the Pasadena Playhouse for two years. Upon returning to Egypt, Chahine focused his attention on directing and his debut, Baba Amin (1950), set off a journey that continued for five decades from which 40 films were reaped.
Chahine`s flights of fantasy did not hinder him from addressing his crude and cruel status quo for he never shied away from rightly-earned criticism; The Sparrow (1973) attacks corruption and hold it responsible for the country`s defeat in the Six Day War while his last movie, Is it Chaos? (2007), raises some very serious questions regarding Egypt`s present political and social ills.
Throughout his many oeuvres, Chahine remained a champion of freedom, bashing whatever compromised it; be it US foreign policy, terrorism or the domestic policies of the Arab world. His works were internationally recognized since he was awarded the 50th annual lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
Call him Joe, El Ostaz, Gaby or the Maestro, no matter what you name him, he will remain to be the courageous intellectual of Egypt`s silver screen.