Yousra, Hefzy, Salama , three Egyptians at the Oscars
SOURCE: EGYPT TODAY
BY: ANGY ESSAM
CAIRO – 2 July 2019: Megastar Yousra, famed producer and head of Cairo International Film Festival Mohamed Hefzy and acclaimed director Amr Salama were chose as members to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
“I am honored to be invited as a member to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences… Now I not only have to watch the Oscars, I actually have to watch the films and vote,”Hefzy wrote on Facebook.
“Officially, I’m now a member in the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences (Oscars),” wrote Amr Salama on Facebook.
Yousra is an Egyptian actress, singer, United Nations good will ambassador and an internationally acclaimed artistic icon.
She is one of the most prominent actresses not only in Egypt but in the Arab region.
Yousra was born on March 10, 1951 as Sevin Hafez Nesim. In 1980, she debuted in the film “Athkiya’ Laken Aghbiya” (Smart yet Stupid).
Yousra performed in numerous movies such as “Kasr Fel Hawaa” (Castle in the Air), “Fatah Tabhath Ann al-Hob” (A Girl Looking for Love), “Alf Bossa Wa Bossa” (A Thousand and One Kisses), and “Ebtessama Waheda Takfi” (One Smile is Enough).
Yousra formed a successful duo with superstar Adel Emam, the matter that resulted in a number of successful films that enriched the Egyptian cinema such as “Shabab Yarkoss Fawk al-Nar” (Youth Dancing on Fire) , “Al-Ensan Yaeesh Mara Waheda” (Man Only Lives Once) , “Ala Bab al-Wazeer” (At the Door of the Minister) , “Al-Avocato” (The Lawyer) , “Al-Ins Wal-Gen” ( The Human and the Goblin) , “Karakoun Fel Shareih” ( A Police Station in the Street), “Al-Mansi” (The Forgotten), “Al-Irhab Wal Kabab” (Terrorism and Kebab), “Toyour Al-Zalam” (Birds of Darkness), and “Bobos” among others.
Yousra was included by Arabian Business among The World’s 100 Most Powerful Arab Women and by The Middle East among the 50 Most Influential Arabs.
In 2015, she was awarded the Achievement in Cinema Award at the Arab Women of the Year ceremony in London.
Throughout her artistic career, Yousra was granted more than 60 local, regional and international awards, most prominently at Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.
Yousra’s cooperation with the internationally acclaimed director Youssef Chahine greatly influenced her career.
Among her important movies with Chahine are “Hadduta Masreya” (An Egyptian Tale), “Iskendereya Kaman we Kaman” (Alexandria More and More), and “Al-Mohager” (The Immigrant).
After a long career, including 85 films and 20 television series, Yousra started to dedicate some of her efforts to social issues, particularly human trafficking.
She engages in humanitarian and advocacy work for women and children.
Yousra participated in the World Economic Forum’s sessions in Switzerland, Jordan and Egypt because of her humanitarian work.
She is currently a goodwill ambassador for many United Nations institutions, including the United Nations Development Programme, UNAIDS and the joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS.
She was the honorary president of Cairo International Film festival in 2017.
In honor of Yousra’s rich artistic career, one of El-Gouna city streets was named after the Egyptian superstar.
Mohamed Hefzy
Born in 1975, Hefzy is an Egyptian film producer and screenwriter. He is the founder of the Film Clinic that is now considered one of the leading production companies in Egypt and the Arab world.
Hefzy is also a film activist who gives workshops and training programs conducted in cooperation with acclaimed international organizations and institutes.
In 2013, Hefzy was named by Screen International as the only Arab among 30 future leaders in film production. In 2016, he was chosen by Variety on top of a list of Ten Names You Need to Know in the Arab Film Industry.
His films have participated widely in numerous prominent film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, and Toronto, and have won more than 80 international awards.
In 2016, one of his productions “Clash” was chosen as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival.
In 2011, Hefzy was a jury member at several local and Arab festivals such as the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival.
Hefzy is a former director of the Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, has been a board member of the Egyptian Chamber of Cinema since 2013, and continues to represent and lobby for independent filmmakers in Egypt and throughout the Arab world.
In 2018, Hefzy was appointed president of the 40th edition of CIFF, becoming the youngest to ever be appointed for this post. He was also selected as a jury member of the Horizons section at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.
Hefzy produces films that receive critical and audience acclaim alike, such as “Yomeddine”, which world premiered at Cannes International Film Festival and was Egypt’s official submission to Oscars Award for Best Foreign-Language Film.
The film marked the third time in a row that a film produced by Hefzy gets submitted to the Academy Awards after “Clash” and “Sheikh Jackson”.
Moreover, Hefzy was on The 100 Most Important Names in the #Arab Film Industry list at Cannes Festival.
It is worth mentioning that the Arab Cinema Center has chosen the head of Cairo International Film Festival, producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzy, to be the Arab Cinema Personality of the Year.
The award is presented by the Hollywood reporter.
Amr Salama
Amr Salama is an Egyptian director who was born in 1982. Salama is one of the distinguished directors in his generations with repertoire that houses a number of successful movies like ‘’Sheik Jackson”, “La Mo’akhaza” among others.