Bahiga Hafez

Bahiga Hafez
Born(1908-08-04)August 4, 1908
Alexandria, Khedivate of Egypt
DiedDecember 13, 1983(1983-12-13) (aged 75)
Cairo, Egypt
OccupationsActress, Composer, Director, Editor, Producer, Screenwriter
Years active1930s–1940s, 1966

Bahiga Hafez (Arabic: بهيجة حافظ, 13 December 1908 – 4 August 1983) was an Egyptian screenwriter, composer, director, editor, producer and actress.

Personal life

Bahiga Hafez was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, to an aristocratic family with ties to monarchy. Hafez began studying music in Cairo and later went on to study musical composition and piano in Paris. Hafez could speak French, Arabic, and other languages. Hafez was the daughter of Ismail Pacha Hafez, who played the oud and was a great lover of music.

After returning to Egypt, she lived in Cairo where she held literary salons. Also upon her return to Egypt, Hafez released record entitled Bahiga, that was played on the radio. In 1930, after having played the title role in the silent film Zeinab, her family disinherited her, since working in cinema was seen as shameful, especially for someone of her social status.

Career

Hafez has been cited[by whom?] as one of the pioneering women in Egyptian cinema. She started her career in film as an actress in the silent film Zaynab, directed by Mohammed Karim, for which she also composed the musical score. Karim had been searching for an actress for the title role, and after meeting Hafez at a party, offered her the role. The film itself was quite popular.

Bahiga Hafez in Zaynab (1930)

Hafez founded the company Fanar Films in 1932. With Fanar Films, Hafez co-directed the film al-Dahaya (1932), called The Victims in English, in which she also played a major role. She was also the costume designer, composer and editor for the film. Three years later she remade the film with sound. Hafez's first solo directed film was Laila bint al-sahara (Laila the Desert Girl), 1937 (Alternative title: Laila bint al-Badawiyya), which was only released in 1944 with a new title, Layla al-Badawiyya (Layla the Bedouin). She worked as director, producer (with Fanar Films), co-screenwriter, composer, and lead actress. The film was to be premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1938 but was banned in Egypt due to its negative depictions of Persians, especially Persian royalty since it was to be released the same year as the wedding of the Shah of Persia and the Princess Fawzia of Egypt. Eventually, the film was no success.

After not working in film for quite some time, Hafez was asked by director Salah Abou Seif to star as one of the princesses in his 1966 film Cairo 30. This was both her return to cinema and also her last appearance. Much of her work as a filmmaker has been lost and only written records of her work remain. In 1995 a copy of her film al-Dahaya was found.

Filmography

Year Title English title Credit Notes
1930 Zaynab Actress, composer Hafez's first acting role
1932 al-Dahaya The Victims Actress, co-director, costume designer, editor, producer Silent Film - directed by Ibrahim Lama
1934 el Ittihâm The Accusation Actress, producer Directed by Mario Volpi
1935 al-Dahaya The Victims Actress, director, producer Remake of the 1932 film with sound
1937 Laila bint al-sahara Laila the Desert Girl Actress, composer, co-screenwriter, director, producer Alternative titles: Laila bint al-Badawiyya
1944 Layla al-Badawiyya Layla the Bedouin Actress, composer, co-screenwriter, director, producer Re-release of the original movie
1947 Zahra Actress, producer Alternate title: Zohra
1966 el Qâhirah talâtîn Cairo 30 Actress Directed by Salah Abou Seif

References

  1. ↑ Farrugia, Marisa (September 2002). The Plight of Women in Egyptian Cinema 1940s 1960s (PDF). White Rose eTheses Online (Thesis). University of Leeds. p. 107.
  2. 1 2 "Studio Misr, etc". weekly.ahram.org.eg. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. ↑ "Women's Films and Social Change". highbrowmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  4. 1 2 Knott, Matthew Hammett (26 June 2014). "Heroines of Cinema: 9 Things We Could Learn From Taking a Global Perspective on Women Directors". Indiewire. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  5. 1 2 3 Leaman, Oliver (2003-12-16). Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film. Routledge. p. 157. ISBN 9781134662517.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hillauer, Rebecca (2005-01-01). Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers. American University in Cairo Press. p. 29. ISBN 9789774249433.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Hottell, Ruth A.; Pallister, Janis L. (2011-09-16). Noteworthy Francophone Women Directors: A Sequel. Lexington Books. p. 59. ISBN 9781611474442.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Bahiga Hafez". sis.gov.eg (in French). 2016-03-15. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Armes, Roy (2008-01-01). Dictionary of African Filmmakers. Indiana University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0253351166.
  10. ↑ "In front of the Mirror: the filmmaker Bahiga Hafez". medmem.eu. Institut National de l'Audiovisuel. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Bahiga Hafez". bibalex.org. AlexCinema. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  12. 1 2 3 Nelmes, Jill; Selbo, Jule (2015-09-29). Women Screenwriters: An International Guide. Springer. pp. 11, 15. ISBN 9781137312372.
  13. ↑ Smither, Roger B. N. (2002-01-01). This Film is Dangerous: A Celebration of Nitrate Film. Federation Internationale des Archives du Film (FIAF). ISBN 9782960029604.[page needed]
  14. ↑ Women and Film. Women & Film. 1973. p. 90.
  15. 1 2 Aghacy, Samira (2015-03-01). Writing Beirut: Mappings of the City in the Modern Arabic Novel. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9781474403467.[page needed]
  16. ↑ Nelmes, Jill; Selbo, Jule (2015-09-29). Women Screenwriters: An International Guide. Springer. p. 29. ISBN 9781137312372.