Ateyyat El Abnoudy (November 26, 1939 – October 5, 2018), also known as Ateyyat Awad Mahmoud Khalil, was an Egyptian journalist, lawyer, actress, producer, and movie director.[1] She was born in a small village along the Nile Delta in Egypt. El-Abnoudy was considered to be one of the pioneering Arab female movie directors as her films inspired the works of many Arab women in the industry. She has been called the "poor people's filmmaker" due to the subject matter that inspired her to make films, including civil rights issues and the condition of impoverished Arabs.[2]
Ateyyat El Abnoudy | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 26, 1939 Nile Delta, Egypt |
| Died | October 5, 2018 (aged 78) |
| Education | University of Cairo |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, lawyer, movie producer |
| Years active | 1939-2018 |
| Spouse | Abdel-Rahman El Abnoudy |
El Abnoudy has received more than 30 international awards for her 22 films, including three for Horse of Mud, released in 1971.[3]
Early life and education
editAteyyat El Abnoudy was raised in a small village by her two parents in a working-class family. El-Abnoudy attended the University of Cairo to attain her law degree, working as an actress at a local theatre to fund her education. While at the university, she met her first husband, a journalist and poet named Abdel-Rahman El Abnoudy. Abdel's career gave Atteyyat access to a network of writers, poets, and other artists in Egypt.[citation needed]
Career
editEl Abnoudy played various roles at the theater, such as stage manager and assistant. In 1972 she attended the Cairo Higher Institute of Cinema to finish her film studies. While there, she created Horse of Mud, which was not only her first documentary, but also Egypt's first documentary produced by a woman.[1]
El Abnoudy started her acting career as a means to financially support herself in school while she studied journalism. When El-Abnoudy's career as a journalist began, she took a particular interest in the poor of Egypt, specifically Cairo. This later inspired her to take up production and become a filmmaker who shed light on the plight of some poor people in Egypt. El-Abnoudy quickly became known by two titles: the "poor people's filmmaker" and the "mother of documentaries". She inspired many Arab women filmmakers to follow in her footsteps.[4]
El-Abnoudy's films are known for dealing with political, social, and economic issues in Egypt. They challenged the censored state of film during Egypt's Sadat era.[5] El-Abnoudy further contested the censorship of Egypt's filmmakers when she became the first female to establish her own production company, Abnoudy Film, which supported small filmmakers similar to her.[1]
Filmography
edit| Credited As: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
| 1971 | Horse of Mud | Yes | Yes |
| 1972 | Sad Song of Touha | Yes | Yes |
| 1973 | Jumble Sale | Yes | Yes |
| 1974 | Two Festivals in Grenoble | Yes | Yes |
| 1975 | al-Sandawich | Yes | Yes |
| 1976 | London Views | Yes | Yes |
| 1979 | To Move into Depth | Yes | Yes |
| 1981 | Seas of Thirst | Yes | Yes |
| 1983 | Permissible Dreams | Yes | No |
| 1985 | Rolla Tree | Yes | No |
| 1988 | Rhythm of Life | Yes | No |
| 1989 | Year of Maya | Yes | No |
| 1990 | Interview in Room No. 8 | Yes | Yes |
| 1992 | Sellers and Buyers | Yes | No |
| 1993 | Diary in Exile | Yes | Yes |
| 1994 | Responsible Women | Yes | Yes |
| 1995 | Rawya | Yes | Yes |
| 1995 | Girls Still Dream | Yes | Yes |
| 1996 | Days of Democracy | Yes | Yes |
| 1996 | Egyptian Heroines | Yes | No |
| 2000 | Cairo 1000, Cairo 2000 | Yes | No |
| 2002 | The Nubia Train | Yes | Yes |
| 2004 | Ethiopia through Egyptian Eyes | Yes | Yes |
Awards and nominations
edit- 1971, three international prizes at the Grand Prix Film Festival, Mannheim Film Festival and Damascus Film Festival.[3]
- 1972, French Critics Prize at Grenoble Film Festival.[3]
- 1990, Best Co-Production Prize, Valencia Film Festival, Spain.[6]
- 1992, Egyptian Film Critics Prize, Ismailia International Documentary & Short Film Festival.[6]
- 1998, Honoured, National Film Festival, Egyptian Ministry of Culture.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c Hillauer, Rebecca (2006-02-02), "Other Filmmakers", Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers, American University in Cairo Press, pp. 421–448, doi:10.5743/cairo/9789774249433.003.0011, ISBN 9789774249433
- ^ Valassopoulos, Anastasia (2013-09-13). Valassopoulos, Anastasia (ed.). Arab Cultural Studies. doi:10.4324/9781315873206. ISBN 9781315873206.
- ^ a b c "WOMEN MAKE MOVIES | Ateyyat El Abnoudy". www.wmm.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
- ^ Van de Peer, Stefanie (2017-04-01). Ateyyat El Abnoudy: Poetic Realism in Egyptian Documentaries. Edinburgh University Press. doi:10.3366/edinburgh/9780748696062.001.0001. ISBN 9781474434836.
- ^ Van De Peer, Stefanie (2011). "The Physicalities of Documentaries by African Women". Critical Interventions. 5: 135–153. doi:10.1080/19301944.2011.10781405.
- ^ a b c "Ateyat El Abnoudy | The Women and Memory Forum". whoisshe.wmf.org.eg. 2018-01-04. Archived from the original on 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
Further reading
editThe Physicalities of Documentaries by African Women written by Stefanie Van De Peer
Permissible Documentaries: Representation in Ateyyat El Abnoudy's documentaries Archived 2019-07-29 at the Wayback Machine written by Stefanie Van De Peer
Popular Egyptian Cinema: Gender, Class, and Nation written by Viola Shafik
External links
edit- Attiyat El-Abnoudy at IMDb
- 1993 Ateyyat El-Abnoudy interview with Kevin Thomas
- Ateyyat El Abnoudy Interview with Rebecca Hillauer