Revisiting the Heyday of the Egyptian Screen
Egypt of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Cosmopolitan, enticing, buzzing with fresh creative talent in the thriving world of film production. Small wonder that Cairo came to be known as the Hollywood of the Middle East, supplying the Arabic speaking world with blockbuster after blockbuster. The Egyptian dialect was familiar to millions of eager viewers.
Stars like Amina Rizk, Ahmed Ramzi, Omar Sharif, Faten Hamama, Fouad El Mohandes, Souad Hosny and Sabah soon became household names as they played out comedy and despair, capturing the essence of the lives of their dedicated fans. Posters became iconic images throughout the towns and cities of the country, vignettes of the passion, drama and intimacy of scenes in the latest movies.
So, what became of the endless stream of film affiche, as they were known? And their artists, men like Mohamed Khalil Ibrahim? This was a source of inspiration for cinephile and art lover, Herve Pourcines when he commissioned a group of talented Egyptian artists, including both Mohamed Khalil Ibrahim and his son Ehab Mohammed Kahlil, to recreate the posters of yesteryear for a vibrant exhibition at Darb 1718, the cultural hub in Old Cairo. Using different genres, graphical approaches, colors and styles the exhibition also displays hand-painted replicas as well as digital re-interpretations of original movie posters, bringing fresh life to a nearly forgotten art.
The exhibition runs through to the end of July at Darb 1718.
