Salah Abu Seif (, ) (May 10, 1915 – June 23, 1996) was a prominent Egyptian film director and screenwriter. He is considered to be the godfather of Neorealist cinema in Egyptian cinema.

Many of the 41 films he directed are considered Egyptian classics; eight of them rank in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s list of 100 Greatest Egyptian Films, the most of any director. Another 1997 Top 100 ranking by Egyptian film critics lists eleven of Abu Seif's films, right behind Youssef Chahine with twelve films.

His film The Beginning and the End (1960) was the first adaptation of a novel by Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz. In 1977 he was a member of the jury at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival.

Early life Abu-Seif was born in 1915, in Cairo's ancient quarter of Boolaq, to landowning parents from Upper Egypt. He was 12 years old when he saw the first full- length feature film made by an Egyptian, in 1927, at a local movie-house - earlier films were imports accompanied by Egyptian narrations, or made by Europeans living in Egypt. As the son of a conservative family, Abu-Seif graduated from the Cairo College of Commerce and Economics in 1932, while at the same time working as a freelance reporter following movie stars. But it was at his day job as a clerk in a factory that he met the Egyptian film-maker Niazy Mustapha, who was on a shoot there. Mustapha made him a film editor.

In 1939, Abu-Seif won a scholarship to study film in Paris. Within five years of his return in 1942, he had established himself as one of the most avant-garde second generation film-makers in the country. He pioneered shooting on location - though he also used reconstructions - in places none of his predecessors had dared to visit, like ghurza (the equivalent of old Chinese opium dens), brothels and impoverished areas whose existence had never been officially acknowledged.

Career Abu Seif began his career as a film editor in films such as Aydah (1942), before making his feature directorial debut with the film Always in my Heart (1946).

Many of his films had political implications. The Case '68 and Malatily Bathhouse were influenced by the Six-Day War. Both films dealt with the changing social climate of post-war Egypt. They experienced troubled production and release history, including protests against their release by the Arab Socialist Union.

Style His style was initially influenced by the works of Egyptian director Kamal Selim.

Abu Seif first encountered neorealism on a trip to Rome, and adopted techniques used by Italian filmmakers, such as dubbing over dialogue to ensure the quality of the audio. He employed several distinct techniques in his films, such as the use of popular music, realistic characters and storylines, and location shooting. When locations were not available to him for filming, he reconstructed sets with great detail to render them as accurate as possible to their real world counterparts.

Abu Seif’s preference for realistic stories and settings allowed him to form a close relationship with his audience, who would have seen themselves represented in his films. He was described as “the artist of the Egyptian people” due to the reflective and observational nature of his work.

Filmography Year Title Arabic Title Notes 1946 Always in My HeartDayman fi Qalbi دايماً في قلبي 1947 The AvengerAl-Muntaqim المنتقم 1948 The Adventures of Antar and Abla مغامرات عنتر وعبلةNominated for "Grand Prize of the Festival" at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival 1948 Street of the Acrobat Shariaal-Bahlawan شارع البهلوان 1950 The FalconAl-Sakr الصقر 1950 Love is a ProblemAl-Hob Bahdala الحب بهدلة 1951 Your Day Will ComeLak Yawm Ya Zalem لك يوم يا ظالم 1952 Foreman HassanAl-Osta Hassan الأسطى حسن 1953 Raya and SekinaRaya wa Sekina ريا وسكينة 1954 The MonsterAl-Wahsh الوحشNominated for "Grand Prize of the Festival" at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival 1956 A Woman's YouthShabab Emraa شباب إمرأةNominated for "Golden Palm" at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival 1957 The ToughAl-Fetewa الفتوةNominated for "Golden Bear" at Berlin Film Festival 1957 The Empty PillowAl-Wessada al-Khalia الوسادة الخالية 1957 SleeplessLa Anam لا أنام 1958 Criminal on HolidayMugrem fi Agaza مجرم في إجازة 1958 The Barred RoadAl-Tarik al-Masdud الطريق المسدود 1958 This is the LoveHaza Howa al-Hob هذا هو الحب 1959 I Am FreeAna Horra أنا حرة 1959 Between Heaven and EarthBayn al-Samaa wa al-Ard بين السماء والأرض 1960 Agony of LoveLawet al-Hob لوعة الحب 1960 The Girls and the SummerAl-Banat wa al-Saif البنات والصيف 1960 The Beginning and an EndBidaya wa nihaya بداية ونهايةNominated for "Grand Prix" at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival 1961 The Sun Will Never SetLa Tutf'e al-Shams لا تطفىء الشمس 1962 Letter from an Unknown WomanRessala Min Emraa Maghoula رسالة من إمرأة مجهولة 1963 No Time for LoveLa Wakt lil Hob لا وقت للحب 1966 Cairo 30Al-Qahira 30 القاهرة 30 1967 The Second WifeAl-Zawga al-Thaniya الزوجة الثانية 1968 Three WomenThalath Nisa ثلاث نساء 1969 Case 68Al-Qadia 68 القضية 68 1969 A Bit of SufferingShia min al Azab شيء من العذاب 1971 Dawn of IslamFajr al-Islam فجر الإسلام 1973 Malatily BathhouseHammam al-Malatily حمام الملاطيلي 1975 The LiarAl-Kadab الكداب 1976 First Year LoveSana Oula Hob سنة أولى حب 1977 She Fell in the Honey SeaSakatat fi Bahr al-Asal سقطت في بحر العسل 1977 The Water-Carrier Is DeadAl-Saqqa Mat السقا ماتWon "Best Film of the Year" at Egyptian Film Association 1978 The CriminalAl-Mugrem المجرم 1982 The QadisiyaAl-Qadisiya القادسيةNominated for "Golden Prize" at the 12th Moscow International Film Festival 1986 The BeginningAl-Bidaya البداية 1991 The Egyptian CitizenAl-Moaten Masry المواطن مصريNominated for "Golden St. George" at the 17th Moscow International Film Festival 1994 Mr. KaafAl-Sayed Kaaf السيد كاف

See also Kamal El Sheikh. Hassan Al-Imam. Mahmoud Zulfikar.

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