Egyptian Film Director Dies After Surgery
Atef el-Tayeb, a film director who was part of the new realism trend in Egyptian cinema, died Friday after unsuccessful heart surgery. He was 47.
El-Tayeb won the best director award from the Cairo International Film Festival last year for his movie “Hot Night.” Like most Egyptian films, el-Tayeb’s works were popular in other parts of the Arab world.
Many of his 17 movies criticized increasing materialism in Egyptian society and emphasized Egypt’s traditional close-knit family life.
El-Tayeb’s “Nagy al-Ali,” a cinema biography of a famous Palestinian cartoonist who criticized Egypt for its peace with Israel, was banned shortly after it was the opening film at Cairo’s 1991 international film festival.
El-Tayeb is survived by his wife.