Khairy Beshara (, ; born June 30, 1947, in Tanta, Egypt) is an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since the 1970s. He is considered one of the Egyptian directors who re-defined Realism in Egyptian cinema in the 1980s. In a recent book published by Bibliotheca Alexandrina in 2007 about the most important 100 films in the history of Egyptian cinema, three of his movies were listed: The Collar and the Bracelet, Bitter Day, Sweet Day, and Ice Cream in Gleem.
Beshara completed his high school in Cairo then joined the Higher Institute of Cinema, where he graduated in 1967. During his time there, he studied film directing under the Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. He then went to Warsaw, Poland, on a fellowship for two years where he met his future wife, Monika Kowalczyk. He started his career with a focus on documentaries then moved to feature narratives and directed 12 long features that were screened at various international film festivals. He is one of the first Egyptian and Arab directors to venture into digital film making in the late 1990s. Beshara, among other new directors, was at the forefront of a reimagined take on realism in Egyptian cinema in the 1980s. His films shifted focus from previous realist films and embraced a different filming method. Beshara chose smaller scale subjects and favoured on-site filming.
Beshara was part of a new generation of directors that writers and film critics recognize as being at the forefront of a new wave of realism in Egyptian and Arab filmmaking in the 1980s. They diverted from the previous traditions of filmmaking by expressing their own creative ideas and embracing new technologies. This was influenced by the cultural and social conditions of the time. His contemporaries who were influential in this movement include Atef El-Tayeb, Mohamed Khan, Bashir El-Dik, and Daoud Abd El-Sayyed. He has been recognized for utilizing new digital techniques that stray from the traditional methods used in realist films from previous generations. He has been defined as a realist due to his subject matter, which focused on lower-middle-class life, recorded through on site-filming using an unembellished style. Beshara's portfolio contains many films shot in the new realism style, as well as a series of documentaries and television shows.
Throughout his career, Beshara directed many feature films and documentaries, which have received recognition for being influential in the new wave of realism in Egyptian film. Writers recognize Beshara's film al-Tawq wal-Aswira as one that defined his reputation as a director. The film explores an honor killing that takes place in a lower-middle-class community in Southern Egypt. A number of his other films combined realism with comedic moments, making this style of film more popular and appealing to the audience. His films Ice Cream in Glim, Kaburya, Amrika Shikabika, and Harb al-Farawla, all use this method. ÃÂ After taking a 16-year hiatus from feature filmmaking, Beshara created Moondog, a docu-drama film that was screened at DIFF's Muhr Arab feature competition. While directing this film, he embraced digital techniques, which launched a departure from the style of his previous work and that of his contemporaries. The film combined technological experimentation and an investigation into a deeper aesthetic narrative of the story. Other highly regarded works of his include the film Fine Arts in Qatar, which was commissioned by Qatar in the early 1980s among others by Egyptian directors, as a reflection of the pan-Arabism culture of the time. ÃÂ In addition, his film Traffic Light won the Silver Pyramid award at the Cario Film Festival. ÃÂ This 1995 film has also been regarded as a shift back to experimental realism.
<small>(All were made in 1999)</small>
Tanks Hunter<br /> 1974 Leipzig 17th International Festival for Short &Documentary Films for Cinema and Television, Official Entry<br /> 1975 Sixth National Festival for Documentary and Short Films, Cairo, Egypt<br /> Best Idea â Khairy Beshara<br /> Best Photography â Mahmoud Abdel Samei
The Village Doctor<br /> 1976 The 7th National Festival for Documentary and Short Films, Cairo, Egypt<br /> Golden Prize â Best Film in the category of medium long films<br /> Best Direction & Scenario â Khairy Beshara<br /> Best Photography â M. Abdel Samei<br /> Best Editing â A. Metwally<br /> Best Music â Dr. Youssef Shawki<br /> Best Sound â M. Abdel Muteleb
1976 The Catholic Audio-Visual Center Award<br /> Best Documentary âÂÂfor its noble message of devoting one's experience to those who need it.. setting an example for a young doctor working in rural areasâÂÂ
1976 The Egyptian Association of Cinema Critics (FIRPRESCI member)<br /> Best Documentary âÂÂfor its unique treatment in dealing with the Egyptian village and its problems...with awareness and a cinematographic view quite unusual for the Egyptian documentariesâÂÂ
1976 Leipzig 19th International Film Festival<br /> The International Students Union Festival Award
1978 The Encouragement State Award, The High Council of Arts, Literature<br /> Award of Sciences & Arts of the First Degree
The Sea Gull<br /> 1977 The 8th National Festival for Documentary and Short Films, Cairo, Egypt (Medium Long Category)<br /> Award for Direction & Scenario â Khairy Beshara<br /> Award for Editing â K. Abul Ela
1977 The Egyptian Association of Cinema Critics (FIRPRESCI member)<br /> Best Documentary concurrently with âÂÂAdvises of a Wise Man on Rural Affairs & Educationâ by Daoud Abdel Sayed
Illumination<br /> 1978 The 9th National Festival for Documentary and Short Films, Cairo, Egypt (Long Documentary Category)<br /> Best Direction â Khairy Beshara <br /> Best Photography â M. Fadel
Rock Talks<br /> 1979 The 10th National Festival for Documentary and Short Films, Cairo, Egypt <br /> Best Editing â Ahmed Metwally
1979 Leipzig 22nd International Festival for Short & Documentary Films for Cinema and Television, Official Entry
1980 Sixth Festival of Egyptian Film <br /> Film Society Award for the Best Short Film
1980 The Egyptian Association of Cinema Critics (FIRPRESCI member)<br /> Best Documentary concurrently with âÂÂWorking in the Fieldâ by Daoud Abdel Sayed âÂÂfor its distinguished creative capacity in expressing the character of the Egyptian Sculptor Abdel Badie Abdel HayâÂÂ
1980 The Folk Culture Department<br /> Certificate of Appreciation â K. Beshara âÂÂIn appreciation of his distinguished efforts and his excellence in the fields of scenario and direction...âÂÂ
Bloody Destinies<br /> 1983 Cinema Prizes Competition, Ministry of Culture, Cairo, Egypt<br> Best Debut Direction â K. Beshara
House-Boat No. 70<br />
Samir Farid (prominent Film Critic) in his book âÂÂNew Realism in Egyptian CinemaâÂÂ, 1991.
1982 The Egyptian Association of Cinema Critics (FIRPRESCI member)<br /> Best Feature Film âÂÂbecause he was able to express the problems of the 70's generation in a new innovative way which reflects maturity of the new Egyptian CinemaâÂÂ
1982 First Cairo International Film Festival (Panorama of Egyptian Films) <br /> First Prize for the Producer
1982 The 35th International Film Festival Cannes (Film Market)
1982 The 18th International Festival for Young Cinematographers, Hyeres, France, Official Entry
1982 First Film Festival for Mediterranean Cultures, Bastia, France, Official Entry
1982 Valencia III International Film Festival for Mediterranean Cultures, Spain, Official Entry
1983 Rotterdam International Film Festival, The Netherlands (Main Program) <br /> It was the First Egyptian film ever to be screened at the Rotterdam festival
1983 Cinema Prizes Competition, Ministry of Culture, Cairo, Egypt <br /> Best Music â Gehad Daoud<br /> Best Supporting Actress â Magda El Khattib
1983 The 9th festival of the Egyptian Film Society<br /> The Special Jury Award for Direction â K. Beshara<br /> Best Photography â M. Abdel Samei<br /> Certificate to the Producer â M. Mostafa
1985 Screened in several Yugoslavian cities on the occasion of cultural events
The Collar & the Bracelet<br /> 1985 The 9th Film Festival of the Egyptian Association for Cinematographic Art<br /> Best Direction â K. Beshara
1986 Valencia 7th International Film Festival for Mediterranean Cultures, Spain<br /> Bronze Award
1986 The 11th Cinematographic Days of Carthage, Tunis (Official Entry)
1986 The Three Continents Film Festival, Nantes, France (Official Entry)
1987 Rotterdam International Film Festival, The Netherlands (Main Program)
1987 Strasbourg 15th Film Festival, France <br /> International Institute of Human Rights within the program âÂÂCarte Blancheâ of the Egyptian Young Cinema proposed by Mohamed Khan (Film Director)
1987 The 5th Arab Film Festival, Paris, France (Main Program)
1987 The 13th Festival of the Egyptian Film society <br /> Best Film â El Alamia for Cinema & TV production, Hussein El Kalla <br /> Best Direction â K. Beshara <br /> Best Photography â Tarek El Telmessany<br /> Best Editing â Adel Mounir<br /> Best Music â Entessar Abdel Fattah<br /> Best Actress - Sherihan
1987 The Egyptian Association of Cinema Critics (FIRPRESCI member) Best Egyptian Feature Film of 1986
1987 The 4th Academic Week for Graduates of the Higher Institute of Cinema, Aswan, Egypt, Best Direction Award
1987 The 5th Damascus Film Festival, Syria
1987 The 11th São Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil
1987 The 31st London Film Festival, United Kingdom
1987 Hollywood on the Nile â The Realists and their films â Egyptian Film in Metropolis Cinema, Hamburg, West Germany
1987 Mediterranean Cinema Festival, Montpellier, France
1989 âÂÂThe Collar & the Braceletâ Between the Film and Yehia El Taher Abdallah's Novel and the Film's Position in Egyptian Cinema, M.A. Thesis by Beaty Klimkiewicz, Warsaw University, Neofilology Department, Poland
1996 The Centennial of Arab Cinema, Lincoln Center, New York, US
1996 The 6th Edition of Black Movie, Genève, Switzerland
Sweet Day, Bitter Day<br /> 1988 The 12th Cinematographic Days of Carthage, Tunis<br /> Best Actress â Faten Hamama
1988 The Three Continents Film Festival, Nantes, France<br /> Special Mention
1988 âÂÂCinema & Reality of the 80's in EgyptâÂÂ, M.A. Thesis by Viola Shafik, Hamburg University, Germany
1989 The 15th Festival of the Egyptian Film Society<br /> Best Actress â Faten Hamama<br /> Best Set Designer â Onsi Abou Seif<br /> Special Mention â Ahmed Hussein (12-year-old boy with major role in the film)
1989 The Egyptian Film Society Survey<br /> Best Film of the year 1988
1989 The Cinema Pharaohs Magazine Survey, Alexandria, Egypt<br /> Best Film of the year 1988
1989 The 12th Cairo Film Festival<br /> The Advertising Prize
1989 Film Fest Munchen, West Germany (International Program)
1989 The 18th International Festival of Cinema, Figueira da Foz, Portugal
1989 The 3rd International Film Festival, Rabat, Morocco<br /> Special Jury Prize
1989 The 10th Mostra De Valencia, Spain (Information Section)
1989 Montreal World Film Festival, Canada, âÂÂToday's Cinema, Tomorrow's Cinemaâ Program
1993 Mostra Internazionale del Nuovo Cinema, Pesaro, Italy
Crabs (Kaboria)<br /> 1991 Tage des un Abhangizen Films, Augsburg, Germany
1991 The Egyptian Association for Cinematographic Art <br /> Best Direction
1991 The First National Feature Film Festival, Cairo, Egypt<br /> Special Jury Award<br /> Best Actress â Raghda<br /> Best Photography â Mohsen Ahmed
1996 âÂÂMass Culture & Modernism in Egyptâ a book by Walter Armbrust, Cambridge University Press.
Wild Desire<br /> 1991 Montreal World Film Festival, Canada, âÂÂToday's Cinema, Tomorrow's Cinemaâ Program
Ice Cream in Gleem<br /> 1993 The 19th Festival of the Egyptian Film Society<br /> Special Jury Award
America Abracadabra (America Shika Bika)<br /> 1993 The 11th Damascus Film Festival, Syria (Main Program)
1994 The 4th Pyongyang Film Festival, Korea <br /> The Special Prize of the Juries
1997 The International House of Philadelphia, US, Contemporary Egyptian Cinema
Traffic Light 1995 The 19th Cairo International Film Festival<br /> Special Jury Prize âÂÂSilver PyramidâÂÂ
1997 II Cinema Dei Paesi Arabi, Cinema Del Comune Di Bologna, Italy
The best of Egyptian cinema, the best 15 best Egyptian films of all time