Sameh Abdel-Aziz (1976-2025): Gone too soon
Abdel-Aziz was born in Cairo in 1976, and graduated from the High Cinema Institute's editing department in 1996. He started his career directing television programmes in the Egyptian National Television and moved to the Dream private television channel where he directed shows like Gana Al-Hawa and Al-Hawa Hawana (named after love songs by Abdel-Halim Hafez) while Hala Sarhan was president. He even moved along with Sarhan to Rotana TV, directing music videos. Only later did he shift to filmmaking. His debut feature film was Dars Khosousi (A Private Lesson, 2005), with the Star Academy winner Mohamed Attia. He also directed the film Assad wi Arbaa Qotat (A Lion and Four Cats, 2007), starring Hani Ramzi and the Four Cats.
He collaborated with screenwriter Ahmed Abdallah on two films: Cabaret (2008), starring Fathi Abdel-Wahab, Khaled Al-Sawi, Ahmed Bedeir and Donia Samir Ghanem; Al-Farah (The Wedding, 2009), starring Khaled Al-Sawi, Donia Samir Ghanem, Joumana Mourad, Yasser Galal, Bassem Samra and Maged Al-Kedwani. The latter had an original and distinctive plot in which Zeinhom (played by Al-Sawi) holds a fake wedding party for his supposed sister so that he can collect money through the Egyptian tradition of noqta (wedding attendees giving the bride money to help with the expenses, which the bride's family will presumably return when it is time for their respective weddings), so that he can buy a microbus. The wedding turns into a condolence ceremony when his mother unexpectedly dies.
Abdel-Aziz joined forces with comedy star Mohamed Heneidi in various productions on the silver screen: Teta Rahiba (My Tough Grandmother, 2012), starring the late veteran actress Samiha Ayoub, Bassem Samra, Donia Samir Ghanem and Mohamed Farrag with a screenplay by Youssef Maati; Monsieur Ramadan Mabrouk Abul-Alamein Hamouda (2011), starring Nesrine Imam, Karima Mukhtar, Laila Taher and Nihal Anbar with another screenplay by Maati; Ard Al-Nifaq (Land of Hypocrisy, 2018), starring Dalal Abdel-Aziz, Hana Shiha, Mohamed Tharwat and Salwa Mohamed Ali; and – last Ramadan – Shehadet Moamlet Atfal (Child Treatment Certificate, 2025), starring Sabri Fawaz, Sama Ibrahim, Noha Abdeen and Walid Fawaz.
On the silver screen, Abdel-Aziz directed Sarkhet Namla (An Ant's Cry, 2011), a political comedy about a slum dweller named Gouda who works for a corrupt member of parliament, starring Amr Abdel-Geleil, Rania Youssef, Ahmed Wafik, Sayed Ragab and Hamdi Ahmed with a screenplay by Tarek Abdel-Geleil.
In 2013, Abdel-Aziz joined forces with Mohamed Saad in the comedy Tatah and a year later he directed Viva Atatta where Saad starred alongside Amy Samir Ghanem, Sami Al-Adl, Abdel-Rahman Abu-Zahra and Ahmed Fathi. In 2014 he directed Halawet Rouh (Rouh's Beauty), starring Lebanese singer Haifaa Wahbi with Bassem Samra, Mohamed Lotfi and Salah Abdallah.
One of his more remarkable works was the comedy Hamlet Freezer (Freezer Mission, 2016), starring Hisham Maged, Shiko, Bayoumi Fouad, Nesrin Amin and Darin Haddad. The film follows a group of intelligence officers who travel to Italy as a film crew to collect information on how to stop the frost after Egypt climate changes and it turns into a cold country. With a screenplay by Walaa Sherif in collaboration with the two actors Hisham Maged and Shiko.
In television he collaborated with megastar Youssra in Kheyanet Ahd (Betrayal of a Covenant), where she starred alongside with Hala Shiha, Abeer Sabri and Bayoumi Fouad in 2020, and a year later in Harb Ahleya (Civil War), starring Bassel Khayat, Gamila Awad, Arwa Gouda and Cynthia Khalifeh.
His most recent work for the silver screen were the two 2014 comedies Al-Malika (The Queen), starring Sherine Reda, Rania Youssef, Bassem Samra and Hala Sedki and Leilet Al-Eid (The Eid Night), starring Youssra, Sayed Ragab, Reham Abdel-Ghaffour, Youssra Al-Louzi, Naglaa Badr and Ahmed Khaled Saleh with a screenplay by Ahmed Abdallah as well as the film Al-Dashash (2025), starring Mohamed Saad, Zeina, Bassem Samra, and Khaled Al-Sawy.
He is survived by his wife the media figure Dalia Farag. He was married to the singer and actress Roubi for two years and they had a daughter together.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CairoScene
an hour ago
- CairoScene
Artist Amina Tamer Illustrates Modern Egypt Through Post Stamps
Artist Amina Tamer Illustrates Modern Egypt Through Post Stamps Rummaging through our grandparents' old files, or through the many boxes of scraps at antique souqs, we inevitably find ancient relics from the days when people used to, you know, actually write letters. We would find notebooks filled with tiny 2x3 cm pieces of art. Some were predictable, like the ones that had presidents' faces on them, the Egyptian flag, or an army tank, but others were more creative, carrying tiny but beautiful paintings of natural attractions, or a clay jug, or even a cat. These antique collections are fun to look at, but they don't really reflect the Egypt we live in today. People stopped writing letters, and so post stamps, the small squares that have carried miniature elements of our culture for thousands of years, became obsolete. Amina Tamer, the Egyptian artist and graphic designer whose work has recently been circulating online, begs to differ; post stamps don't have to be reduced to antiques. 'For my pre-master's project, I wanted to create a cultural project that showcased not only my illustration skills but also my graphic design skills,' Amina Tamer tells CairoScene. 'And I needed a medium that allowed me to experiment with a variety of styles while still adhering to the concept. At the same time, stamps always had my interest, because of their diverse colours, illustrations, typography, layout, size, and the cultures they represent.' Like her inspiration, the stamps Tamer comes up with are diverse. Sometimes, they show a tiny colourful picture of a donkey pulling a cart, a black and white apartment building, or the storefront of a juice shop. At other times, it's a portrait of a band the country loves. Tamer's art reflects how scattered, and thereby diverse, the concept of Egyptian culture has become. 'It always begins with an idea, theme, or concept that I continue to explore until it's expanded into layouts and illustrations, and then I reach something.' At completion, Tamer's projects are always vibrant, loud, crowded. 'I try to design projects that are pleasant, sincere, and make you feel lively and genuine. I have to feel them in my heart.' Even in other projects, like the storybook she made of 'Siwa's Narrative of Love', inspired by the hidden love story of someone she met on a trip to Siwa, Tamer seems to look on the bright side. She illustrates an Egypt that's bursting with colour, with kitschy patterns like the one we see when we leave our houses every day. Perhaps we should be handwriting letters again.
See - Sada Elbalad
14 hours ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Videos: Fayrouz & World Bid Farewell to Ziad
Rana Atef On Monday, Lebanese legend Fayrouz bid farewell to her son, iconic composer Ziad El Rahbani. The funeral witnessed a heavy presence of Lebanese people, young people, and artists who bid farewell to a real friend and icon who shaped their souls and minds with her revolutionary musical concepts and bold political and social perspective. Ziad, who started his career at the age of 12, combined with his mother to present a new and modern form of Al Rahbania music that colored the heritage of Lebanese and Arabic music. In songs like "Kaifak Enta," "Sabah We Masa," "Al Bosta," "Oudak Ranan," and "Saaoloni El Nas," Ziad introduced the world to a new dimension for Lebanese folk music by adding faster tempos and jazz influences. Ziad's fame arguably extended beyond his association with Fairuz's works, as he performed many songs in his own voice, some of which became iconic pieces echoed by generations. Among these are: 'Bala Wala Shi', ''Aaysha Wahda Blak', and 'Ana Msh Kafir'. Returning to the play "Al-Mahatta, which also marked his first appearance on stage as a police officer—a role he also played in "Mais El Reem", the play for which he composed the introduction—Ziad would go on to write and direct his own plays. These carried his distinct imprint and reflected his political and social views, often filled with satire and criticism of the prevailing reality. Among his plays are: "Sahriyyeh", "Nuzul Al-Surur", "Bel Nisbeh La Bukra Shu", "Shi' Fashil", and "Bikhuss Al-Karama w Al-Sha'ab Al-Anid". In 1980, his play "Film Ameriki Taweel", set in a psychiatric hospital, achieved phenomenal success. In it, he condensed the problems of Lebanese society and its sectarian divisions, which at the time were fueling the flames of civil war. Ziad also participated in several radio programs that coincided with major events shaking Lebanon, most notably the civil war between 1975 and 1990. Through these programs, he expressed his political stances on the rapidly unfolding events. These included: "Baadna Tayyibin... Qoul Allah", "Nuss el Alf Khamsmiyyeh", "Al-'Aql Zineh", and the series "Announcement No. 1, 2, 3, 4", which followed the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. His broadcasts often featured biting satire and memorable phrases that were later quoted by many to describe the political scenes in several Arab countries. Ziad also played minor roles in films, such as in the Lebanese movie "Tayyara min Wara" and the Algerian film 'Nahla' in the late 1970s. In both films, he composed the soundtrack—another facet of his multifaceted artistic creativity. Ziad also wrote a series of journalistic articles, most notably a regular column for Al-Akhbar newspaper, which he contributed to between 2006 and 2018. In the early 1970s, Ziad published a book titled 'Sadeeq Allah', a poetry collection he wrote in his early teenage years. During the funeral, the iconic Fayrouz appeared in a simple and gentle form. She appeared to the world for the first time in long years with the same face and simple clothes the audience was used to. She appeared to be faithful and patient in front of such huge grief. During her life, she lost a daughter, a husband, and now, a son. Famous Lebanese actress Carmen Lebbos was seen in a heartbreaking mood, as she had deep ties with Ziad for more than 15 years. Iconic composer Marcel Khalil and singer Heba Tawaju also showed their respect for the late friend and the iconic Fayrouz. 🔴 [ #Live ] Sitting in the church with her daughter, Fairuz mourned her son's coffin. As she entered the church, she sang "Ana al-Oum al-Hazina" (I am the grieving mother), a religious hymn usually sung at Easter. 📸 Mohammed Yassine/ L'Orient Today — L'Orient Today (@lorienttoday) July 28, 2025 Among the recalled songs and tunes of Ziad, the people recalled the religious hymn Fayrouz sang during the ceremonies of the Great Friday when she sang a hymn depicting the cries and the farewell of Virgin Mary to her son, Jesus. Saydeh Church Charbila Priest directed in his speech at the funeral of Ziad some gentle words to that Fayrouz. He said that your children are many, around the world. They are those who wake and sleep listening to your voice and music. الأم الحزينة.. — MariaMe Fneiche (@mariame_fneiche) July 28, 2025 He also praised Ziad's manners as the man who said the truth, loved all people, and was brave. السيدة رندى بري تعزي السيدة #فيروز بوفاة ابنها الفنان الكبير #زياد_الرحباني في كنيسة سيدة الرقاد في بكفيا — nbnlebanon (@nbntweets) July 28, 2025 read more 2 Most Inspirational Green Projects in Egypt AEW Dynamite, WWE NXT to Strive over Viewership Tonight Egypt Marks 70th Anniv. of 2011 Revolution, National Police Day In Depth: WWE NXT Halloween Havoc In Depth: AEW Dynamite, WWE NXT Tuesday Viewership Strive Videos & Features WATCH: Egyptians Break Ramadan Fasts in Matariya Videos & Features GrEEk Campus Hosts Jobzella Fifth Career Fair Videos & Features 3 Iconic Ramadan Songs of All Times Videos & Features Top 4 Destinations to Visit in Upper Egypt News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence"
See - Sada Elbalad
16 hours ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Iran Confirms Nahid-2 Satellite is Operational in Orbit
Yara Sameh The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) has confirmed successful communication with the newly launched Nahid-2 satellite, having received its initial telemetry signals. This is reported by the Mehr News Agency , a partner of TV BRICS. According to ISA chief Hossein Salariyeh, these signals indicate that the satellite is stable and functioning as intended in its designated orbit following its launch from Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome on 25 July. Nahid-2 is a telecommunications satellite that utilises the Ku-band, commonly used for broadband connectivity across the globe. Salariyeh stated that post-launch efforts are now focused on systematically testing each subsystem to ensure optimal performance. The satellite, entirely designed and built domestically, is equipped with a range of features including secure data transmission, onboard storage, and direct communication with ground stations. Salariyeh also highlighted that the successful launch of Nahid-2 marks a significant step forward in Iran's space capabilities, noting that the development of the next-generation Nahid-3 satellite is already underway. read more UAE's Lunar Mission Delayed to Tomorrow Twitter Lifts Trump's Account Ban Scientists Find Evidence Of 10،000 Black Holes Surrounding The Center Of The Milky Way Galaxy Greenhouse In Antarctica Able To Grow Vegetables Without Soil Or Sunlight Moving Over China: U.S. Is Again Home to World's Speediest Supercomputer Technology The 10 most expensive cars in the world Technology Top 10 fastest cars in the world Technology Lasers Could Make Computers 1 Million Times Faster Technology Smart technology taking control of our lives News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Arts & Culture Hawass Foundation Launches 1st Course to Teach Ancient Egyptian Language
