Khaled Youssef

"Khaled Youssef"(Arabic: خالد يوسف), is an Egyptian director and film writer, being the most loyal student of Youssef Chahine, he acquired his name "Youssef".The film director fights against the values he believes are holding Egyptian society back, despite attacks that he is promoting immoralityOnly a few Egyptian filmmakers have succeeded in turning themselves into brand names: Youssef Chahine, Mohamed Khan, Radwan El-Kashef and now, most recently, Khaled Youssef. It would be impossible to crown one as the best, especially as each is lauded for different reasons: Chahine for his creativity, Khan for his superb technique, El-Kashef for his clever scenarios and unique shooting locations. And Youssef? He is best known because he is not afraid of controversy — and his films show it.

After every new Youssef release, waves of criticism flow from TV talk shows, newspaper columns and radio programs. Many seem to erupt into attacks against Youssef and his crew for capturing ugly slices of Egyptian society that many believe should never be exposed.FacesSheikh Mohamed GebrilMeet Sheikh Mohamed Gebril, The Imam of Millions...

So who is this man with all the buzz? An interview with Youssef was much anticipated, especially following the release of his latest film El-Rayes Omar Harb (Chief Omar Harab). The film portrays the world inside an Egyptian casino and was roundly criticized, even provoking outrage, for containing sexual innuendoes.Political Childhood

Youssef’s office walls are covered with pictures of key personalities that formed his consciousness: director Chahine, ex-President Gamal Abdel Nasser, actress Soad Hosny and especially prevalent, the-larger-than-life Che Guevara, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary. Indeed, many of the principles that Guevera advocated are not a far cry from the social and political views of Youssef himself — who grew up exposed to terms such as socialism, economic inequality and anti-imperialism from every corner of his father’s house, the mayor of Kafr Shokr, a small village in the Nile Delta.

While the family was upper middle-class, his father was devoted to the socialist movement in Egypt after the 1952 revolution. “I was raised with a clear bias toward simple, underprivileged people,” Youssef says, adding that the two figures who most influenced him during his childhood were his father and Khaled Mohy El-Din. [Khaled Habib “After I was able to gather thousands into protests, I found myself alone.” ]

“After I was able to gather thousands into protests, I found myself alone.”

El-Din, one of the Free Officers who ousted King Farouk in the 1952 revolution, was in fact a close friend of Youssef’s father, who supported El-Din in the first Egyptian parliamentary elections during President Anwar Sadat’s era. “I was 10 or 11 when those elections took place,” Youssef explains. “Me and my friends formed a group to support Mohy El-Din against other kids supporting different candidates. We chanted for him all day, but our campaign was ended when we threw stones [at the] other kids,” Youssef recalls, laughing.

Born in 1965, Youssef is the youngest of his father’s 13 sons from seven marriages. Knowing that he might not live to see his grandsons, his father was especially fond of his youngest boy. “He gave me everything a father can give a son,” Youssef says, adding that this helped shape him into the confident man he is today. In addition to love and kindness, his father was keen on passing religious knowledge on to his son. “Every night, he told me Qur’anic stories in an appealing way,” Youssef says. “When I grew older, he used to reward me for every book I read.”

These weren’t children’s books either — at a young age, Youssef was already reading the controversial Egyptian tales of writers such as Naguib Mahfouz, Youssef Idris and Taha Hussein. Decades later, a massive library in his office boasts many of his favorites.Mobilizing the People

Youssef eventually left his village to study electrical and communication engineering at the Cairo campus of Banha University. It was during his university years that he participated in his first serious demonstrations. Compared to the childish demonstrations he had arranged in his village, Youssef was entering the biggest political arena he had encountered so far in his life. Blessed with a deep understanding of current affairs and striking oratory skills, Youssef was elected chief of the student union in his university. “I was able to organize demonstrations of hundreds of thousands [of] students,” Youssef says. “Sometimes, with a phone call, a million Egyptian students from Alexandria to Aswan mobilized into a demonstration against the state.”

He and his colleagues protested against high prices, corruption or for specific cases of injustice. He was arrested several times, but never for more than a few hours.

While much of his time was spent arranging political demonstrations and speeches, another hobby began to develop. “I became an avid fan of Arabic and English movies,” Youssef says. Inspired by his love for the silver screen, Youssef invited his favorite directors to give public lectures at the university. One of them was Youssef Chahine.

It was 1987 when Youssef introduced Chahine’s lecture with an in-depth analysis of his movies and their impact on society. Chahine was so impressed that he asked Youssef to meet again to speak further. Chahine eventually suggested that he should work in cinema. “He told me, ‘you tell your stories in a visual style — this is the trait of a good director’,” Youssef recalls.

At the time, Youssef declined Chahine’s offer to work with him, choosing to finish his studies instead. He continued to maintain a close relationship with Chahine, however. After his lofty dreams to liberate Arab nations and free Palestine, Youssef came back to earth upon leaving the rarefied atmosphere of university. He remembers the situation with disappointment. “After I was able to gather thousands into protests, I found myself alone.”A New Path

Chahine, noticing Youssef’s disillusionment, again invited the graduate to give cinema a try. At 25, Youssef entered Chahine’s shooting location — and immediately decided he’d found his career. “I was like a Sufi, in love with the creation process of making a film. It was something unprecedented.”

After successfully completing his first film as an assistant, he was hired to assist Chahine on his hit film Al-Maseer (The Fate), shot in five countries and boasting a long list of Egyptian movie stars. Thanks in part to his engineering background, Youssef was able to tackle the colossal job he had undertaken, despite so little experience.

After the success of Al-Maseer, Chahine told Youssef that he was ready to start his own path directing, but Youssef, not yet feeling confident, continued to work by Chahine’s side instead. He was 34 when he launched his first film Al-Asefa (The Storm) as one of Egypt’s youngest directors. “I didn’t have an idea in mind for my first film, so Chahine told me: ‘The thing that hurts you the most will make your best films’,” Youssef explains.

Al-Asefa, which depicts the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, received the Silver Pyramid Award at the Cairo Film Festival. Youssef has directed eight films since 1999, some of which are considered among the best Egyptian films of the last few years.From Political to Personal

Youssef is more reluctant to discuss his personal life. After a failed marriage, he believes that nothing in life is more valuable than his children, Youssef, 7 and Mariam, 5. Despite the divorce, Youssef is trying to be the best dad he can be, just like his father was for him. “I dedicate my life to my children and work,” he says, and tries to pass down traditional values to his children.

However, he believes that happiness lies in being in love. “It is very hard to find someone who is happy without being in love,” he says. When asked if he is in love, he smiles, eyes slanting downwards, and says, “I’m happy.” Enough said.

Youssef has become a target for criticism lately for his interpretation of sex in his films. He refutes claims that he moralizes adultery and harms the country’s reputation by showing scenes that reflect ignorance, sexual harassment and poverty.

“I’m not an enemy of the society to want to harm it,” he says. “I want my children to grow up here, so I want the society to improve.”

Youssef believes that there are great traditions in Egypt and the Arab world that should be preserved. On the other hand, he believes that a lot that must change. He is vehemently against discrimination against women, double standards and the concept of honor. His bias towards the underprivileged remains undiluted, and he continues to draw sometimes shocking pictures of poverty and corruption in his films.

He realizes it is a risk, but he is ready to pay the price. “People perceive that [today] as deviation, but tomorrow they will not,” he predicts. “All huge leaps in history happened when a creative person dreamt of something better for the people. Until then, the battle against the status quo will continue.edit by--

External links

*imdb name|0950352 [http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8104]

Khaled Youssef directed several important movies which are ELASEFA, GAWAZ BEKARAR GUMHURY, ENTA OMRY, OUIJA, KHEYANA MASHROUAA, HENA MAYSARA, with his prof Shahine HEYA FAWDA & ELRAYES OMAR HARB