Latest news with #OmarSharif
Identity
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Identity
Remembering Omar El Sharif: 5 Movies That Celebrate His Timeless Legacy
Today marks the anniversary of the passing of Omar Sharif, a legend who left a huge mark on both Egyptian and international cinema. From his early days on the silver screen to becoming a Hollywood icon, Sharif's presence was always defined by depth, elegance, and a rare ability to bring characters to life in a way that felt grand and deeply human all together. His filmography managed to bridge cultures and generations, with standout roles that continue to resonate to this day. Whether it was romantic classics, political dramas, or global blockbusters, Sharif brought something unforgettable to every part he played. In his memory, we're revisiting some of the films that remind us why his work continues to live on, quietly powerful, and always feel to be timeless.
Al-Ahram Weekly
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Bringing heritage to life through film - Focus - Al-Ahram Weekly
Cinema has always been a medium in which history comes to life — explaining why different initiatives have been using cinema to raise awareness of Alexandria's tangible and intangible heritage. The concept of sharing knowledge with the community is a very old one, and, if done correctly, allows the public to be part of protecting heritage and even historical sites, especially after they have learned how valuable they are. So why not do this in a fun way? Cinema can open the door to heritage protection in a romantic way and be a major tool in documenting history. Films are looked upon as historical references, and cinema's world of imagination, colour, and nostalgia can combine for a greater purpose: to cherish and protect our history. Egypt's cinema industry was once the third largest in the world, with only Hollywood and Bollywood being ahead of it. Though Cairo's film studios later buzzed with legends such as Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama, the soul of the movement had its roots in Alexandria. Just months after creating their early cinématographe in Paris at the end of the 19th century, the French Lumière brothers brought it to Egypt. In November 1896, for the first time ever in Egypt, moving images danced across a screen at the Zawani café in Alexandria. 'Alexandria, a city already accustomed to cosmopolitan wonders, embraced the new art form without hesitation. The Lumière brothers opened Egypt's first permanent cinema hall, again choosing Alexandria,' a book on the period states. In 1952, Cinema Amir owned by 20th Century Fox, opened its doors in Alexandria. With seating for over 1,200 people and state-of-the-art equipment, it quickly became a cornerstone of Alexandria's cultural life. Just a few steps away stood Cinema Metro, once operated by MGM, and Cinema Royale, tied to Universal Studios. The 1960s later brought change to the industry, with nationalisation altering domestic production and the urban landscape being transformed. Slowly, the magic dimmed, and film theatres lost their luster. Some closed, while others survived, if only just. Yet, the memory of what cinema once meant to Alexandria never disappeared. In 1979, the Alexandria International Film Festival began, and more recently the Alexandria Short Film Festival has given creators a platform from which to speak. Moreover, the city hosts the EU Film Festival and the Iberoamerican Film Festival, keeping the reels spinning and stories alive. The French expression mise en scène literally translates as 'setting the stage', including the arrangement of actors in theatre or film. The 'Mise en Scène' project founded by Mohamed Hamdi, a graphic artist and exhibition curator, carries the same meaning and involves setting the stage of Alexandria, arranging different scenes from different times, be it from film, theatre or daily life, all of them aiming to document and cherish the history of the city. An important aspect of the project highlights the role of cinema in preserving Alexandria's heritage. Films can show a landmark that may no longer be there in fact, but they do not just document what a place used to look like, a building that was demolished, or how people used to dress at a specific time. 'For instance, if a film was produced in 1930, showing the corniche of Downtown Alexandria at that time, it likely also shows how the coastline appeared 20 or 30 years before then,' Hamdi said. In 2021, Hamdi launched the first edition of Mise en Scène aiming to document Alexandria through cinema. The first edition focused on the architecture of the city, raising awareness by connecting people with scenes in films and creating a nostalgic bond. For example, someone might see a scene from an old film of a beach where he spent his childhood, with the beach and the buildings in the area surrounding it perhaps no longer there. 'Maybe a couple of old buildings are still standing, but they are in bad shape. Watching this scene in a film connects the viewer with his childhood memories, and it also creates a sense of responsibility towards what is left. In an indirect manner, the audience becomes attached to history,' Hamdi said. 'They start to stop, take a second look and admire where they are walking, and see the gems around each corner. In a fast-paced era when no one is attached to anything except for a couple of minutes, this project aims to make people slow down and actually look at their environment,' he added. ALEXANDRIA CINEMA: Since 1920, around 408 films have been made in Alexandria. 'This number includes films that were filmed in the city and also scenes that portray Alexandria,' said Hazem Al-Attar, a film director. In the Raml district only a couple of streets from the Misr Railway Station stands the unmistakable statue of Egyptian independence leader Saad Zaghloul on the right of the iconic Cecil Hotel, one of Alexandria's architectural beauties. Originally one of Cleopatra's Needles, an ancient Egyptian obelisk, stood on this Square, but it was gifted to the US in 1877. Just a couple of blocks away stands the charming English-style Trianon Café, dating back to 1905. Al-Attar recalls the statue of Zaghloul appearing in the 1969 film Miramar starring Shadia and other prominent actors. One of the scenes in the film portrays actors Youssef Wahbi and Emad Hamdi sitting in the Trianon drinking tea, with the statue of Zaghloul in the background. 'This simple scene is enough to draw attention to this landmark without even intending to do so. The audience often ask where the actors were sitting and if the statue is still there. They want to know how old it is, and this can create an unconscious sense of responsibility towards historic landmarks,' Al-Attar said. For Hamdi, the project is about 'creating a sense of belonging through nostalgia. People are naturally drawn to their past, childhood memories, or the first time their heart skipped a beat,' he said. However, it is more focused on the intangible aspect of heritage, rather than tangible historic landmarks. It aims to document how people used to dress, their dialogue, their morning and evening habits, and their daily lives. Another film set in Alexandria, this time with Laila Mourad, Anwar Wagdi, and Naguib Al-Rihani, is Ghazal Al-Banat made in 1949. It includes some of Mourad's most celebrated songs, among them Etmakhtari ya Kheil which features the actress and her friends riding horses in the gardens of the Montazah Palace. Sadly, many of the trees in this scene are no longer there. In the 1961 film Fi Baytna Ragul (There's a Man in our House) starring Omar Sharif and Roshdi Abaza there are unforgettable scenes of the streets of Cairo and the house where most of it was filmed. Many people want to see this house today. The villa where Ahmed Mazhar resided in Doaa Al-Karawan (The Nightingale's Call, 1959) still exists and is an attraction today, though the film is more than 60 years old. Al-Attar recalls his passion for cinema and filmmaking, saying that his grandfather Ibrahim al-Attar owned two cinemas in Kafr Al-Dawar 30 km from Alexandria named the Cinema Al-Ettihad and the Cinema Al-Shaab. 'Al-Shaab offered low ticket prices, while Al-Ettihad was more luxurious. Both included cultural activities and not just film shows,' he said. Unfortunately, both cinemas were demolished in the 1980s. Al-Attar is also the co-founder of the Heritage and Generation (Turathna wal Agyal) initiative that focuses on bringing history and heritage to children and young people. It does so by providing filmmaking workshops and theatre shows with a focus on presenting heritage in a simple and fun way. The aim is to offer an unforgettable experience for children, who can wear the costumes of each era and get a real feel of what daily life was like at the time. It uses the different gardens in Alexandria — the Antoniados Gardens present the ancient Greek era, while the Montazah Gardens are the perfect stage for the Mohamed Ali era and the modern history of Egypt. Al-Attar is currently working on a collaboration with the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) in Cairo to present the first ever interactive historical narrative event for children, including fashion shows and filmmaking workshops. ENGAGEMENT: Hamdi has tried to engage the public by simply showing people pictures of old films portraying Alexandria, be it a scene from a beach that is no longer there or an ice cream cart that used to pass by a particular neighbourhood. 'The aim is to create a heartwarming experience that naturally occurs when someone has a familiar feeling relating to a happy memory. This can eventually lead to a sense of responsibility towards preserving what is left of old landmarks, even if it comes down to just small pieces,' he said. 'Through the engagement with old films, people become more aware of their own identity, which serves the intangible aspect of heritage. Films do not just document what buildings and streets used to look like. They provide proof of how people used to dress and the fashion style of each generation,' Hamdi explains. Several other projects are being held in Alexandria to help preserve and document the city's heritage. They include the annual Alexandria Heritage Days organised by the Centre d'Etudes Alexandrines (CeAlex). The latest edition took place last November and marked the event's 15th anniversary. This May, the centre announced an open call for participants who would like to be part of the upcoming event this year, and it is hoped that this will encourage even more public engagement. The Alexandria Heritage Days consist of a series of exhibitions, seminars, and concerts held in cultural centres, museums, or cafés and restaurants, which gives the public the chance to learn about the heritage of the coastal city. Each season serves as an update on the city's heritage and gives an overview of its iconic landmarks. Attendees have access to historical landmarks that are usually not open to the public. Walking tours also play a big part, and many are held around architectural gems that never get old no matter how much people see them. Other projects include book launches, the latest by Osama Muharram, an illustrator and author of the book Life in Ancient Alexandria, launched during the last edition of the Alexandria Heritage Days. Muharram did not intend to publish a book, but he 'wanted to do something more vibrant than my drawings, so I started imagining the daily life of people in ancient Alexandria.' Based on his readings and several museum visits, Muharram started drawing and publishing his artwork on Instagram, including of people and their houses. 'One drawing followed another, and I asked myself why not draw streets, the port, and boats as well.' Soon there was a book in the offing. It illustrates the daily life of Alexandrians in ancient times, but it also allows readers to appreciate what people used to wear. It includes a map of ancient Alexandria and drawings of the harbour and the overall structure of the city. Along with the drawings, which serve as an amazing tool for children to learn about the city's history, the book is the outcome of two years of work and provides accurate historical information about life in ancient Alexandria. An exhibition was curated by Hamdi last November, and both Hamdi and Muharram share the same passion for Alexandria's history and have been partners on several projects. The 11th edition of the Alexandria Short Film Festival took place in the city in May, following its establishment in 2015 by the Art Circle Association. The festival provides an opportunity for filmmakers to present their works to the public in the heart of the coastal city and helps encourage the exchange of experiences among filmmakers from all over the world. Discussions take place between the filmmakers and the audience and provide a platform for presenting work and harvesting the result of the filmmakers' efforts. Held annually, the festival reflects the city's rich cinematic heritage and opens the door to raising awareness through cinema by emphasising the role filmmaking plays in documenting and preserving culture and history. The Oscar-qualifying festival serves as a local and international opportunity for cinema enthusiasts to showcase their talent in short films. At the Alexandria Short Film Festival Masterclass this year, the digitisation of cultural heritage was discussed along with the challenges of preserving cultural legacies. The session featured actor Mahmoud Hemeida, academic Khaled Hemeida, and director Al-Attar. It discussed the importance of documenting the city's artistic heritage and the role of artificial intelligence in safeguarding cultural memory. It also looked at the challenges of intellectual property rights in the current era of digital transformation. The festival prize reflects the history of Alexandria, since it is in the form of a statuette of Hypatia, a Neoplatonist philosopher who resided in Alexandria during the Roman Empire in the fourth century CE. She is said to be the first woman in history to become a prominent mathematician in her own right. According to the fifth century CE historian Socrates of Constantinople, 'there was a woman at Alexandria named Hypatia, daughter of the philosopher Theon, who made such attainments in literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her own time.' 'Having succeeded to the school of Plato and Plotinus, she explained the principles of philosophy to her auditors, many of whom came from a distance to receive her instructions. On account of the self-possession and ease of manner which she had acquired in consequence of the cultivation of her mind, she not infrequently appeared in public in the presence of the magistrates. Neither did she feel abashed in going to an assembly of men. For all men on account of her extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more.' * A version of this article appears in print in the 17 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top new restaurant adds a bit of spice to York suburb
A new restaurant is adding a bit of spice to a York suburb. The Bengal opened at Almsford House, Beckfield Lane, Acomb last weekend and is already attracting rave reviews online. The new venture is owned and run by Mr Omar Sharif and Mr Kibria, who have an extensive background in the restaurant sector, including their parents also owning and running restaurants across Yorkshire. Omar told the Press: 'We are originally from Leeds and have worked in York for the past 15 years.' RECOMMENDED READING: The Old Greengrocer in Acomb makes The Good Food Guide Italian restaurant Pranzo is set for July opening in York Inos Greek Taverna and Bar in York earns plaudits on Google 'We opened the place to share the food we grew up with- real, regional Bangladeshi and Bengali coming made with care.' 'Our head chef brings years of experience from both Bangladesh and the UK. We are proud to be part of York's growing food scene.' A tasty and spicy chicken starter (Image: Darren Greenwood) Omar continued: 'We have years of experience. We have worked in Indian and Bengali restaurants across the UK, learning both kitchen and front of house operations.' 'Our head chef has trained in top kitchen in India and brings authentic, regional expertise to every dish.' 'We love Bengali and Indian food and wanted to offer something truly authentic and regional- not just the usual dishes, but flavours from across India that people don't often get to try.' 'What makes us different is our focus on homestyle cooking, high quality ingredients and a menu that changes with the seasons. It's about creating a real experience, not just a meal.' A feast to enjoy (Image: Darren Greenwood) 'We chose this location because it's a vibrant part of York with a great mix of locals and visitors. It felt the right place to bring something new to the food scene- a spot where people could come together and enjoy honest, authentic Bangladeshi food in a warm, welcoming setting.' 'We are excited to share the food we grew up with and proud to be part of York's food scene. Our goal is to create a venue where everybody feels welcome, whether you are trying Bangladeshi food for the first time or you miss the taste of home. We just want people to leave happy, full and ready to plan their next visit.' The Bengal features a stylish, modern interior. It only offers soft drinks but allows diners to bring their own alcohol. A Co-op supermarket is handily opposite, across the road. It is also cash only, but again, an ATM is over the road. Mr Omar Sharif in the stylish and modern restaurant, The Bengal (Image: Darren Greenwood) When the Press called around 5pm on Thursday, people already coming in placing orders for take-aways. Omar added business has been good since they started. Already plaudits are being given online, with Google awarding the Bengal 4.9 stars out of five based on eight reviews. One diner lauded a 'very delicious and well-priced meal with excellent service.' Another said: 'Top notch Bengali cuisine. Seems a cut above your standard "Indian". Really friendly staff too. Highly recommended! ' And another added: 'Absolutely by far the best Indian I've had in a long time and I go to Bradford quite often. I'm so glad to have a 5* curry house in the area.' And judging by what I enjoyed on my visit, all the praise is well deserved. The Bengal can also be found online at:
Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
A sprinkling of sublime for TE Lawrence's grave
There is that 'great man' moment in David Lean's cinematic masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia when Peter O'Toole's Lawrence is trying to persuade his sceptical Bedouin lieutenant (Omar Sharif) that it is indeed possible to cross hundreds of miles of waterless desert and take the fortified port of Aqaba, held by the Turks, from the landward side. 'Aqaba is over there,' he says, pointing into the furnace. 'It's only a matter of going.' That journey in 1917, the crossing of the uncrossable, of what Sharif's character calls the 'Devil's Anvil', was the defining moment for Thomas Edward Lawrence. His legend grew from life ended not with a Turkish bullet or a last drop of stagnant water but at the age of 46 with a
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
‘I was handed a $4,000 bill': ELAINE GOLDSMITH-THOMAS on being a Hollywood agent in the 1980s
A s a junior Hollywood agent for the William Morris Agency, in 1987 Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas was told to look after one of its clients, the suave Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, for an evening. 'He suggested dinner and chose Perino's, the most expensive restaurant in Los Angeles,' she recalls. 'Then he started calling friends who joined us. There were pre-dinner drinks, dinner, more drinks, champagne, caviar. By the end there were about 11 people at our table and we closed the restaurant. When the bill finally came it was $4,000, which was a fortune back then. And he just handed it to me and said, 'Thank you.'' This is only one of the stories Goldsmith-Thomas amassed as she worked her way to becoming a high-profile agent in La La Land in the 1980s and 90s, when excess was the norm. She represented Madonna, Julia Roberts, Spike Lee and Nicolas Cage, before become the producing partner of close friend and former client Jennifer Lopez. Now she has written a novel, Climbing In Heels, about a trio of pioneering shoulder-padded female agents vying to sign movie stars in a milieu rife with sex, drugs and harassment. The book was snapped up before publication and sold as a blockbuster series to the US streaming service Peacock by another old friend of Goldsmith-Thomas's, Darren Star, creator of Sex And The City and Emily In Paris. The scandalous happenings it features – from swimming-pool shags to office blowjobs, ruthless client-poaching to cocaine binges – are, it seems, mostly real. As is its depiction of the predatory sexism that pervaded the 'boys' club' of talent agencies back then. 'I didn't want to write a feminist manifesto, that wouldn't be true,' says Goldsmith-Thomas of the book's non-judgmental tone. 'Some of these things happened to me, some I invented, but if anything it's understated – I actually took stuff out because I thought, 'Holy f**k, what am I doing?' If you look at Weinstein and people like him now paying the price, they were trained in the 80s. 'Weinstein was not the exception – he was the rule. It was a wild, wild west, and I didn't know it was bad because that was the world I was in. There were women who were older than me who mentored me but if you complained to them [about sexism or harassment], they'd say, 'Grow a pair.' One used to joke that she'd f**ked her way to the middle.' (Goldsmith-Thomas won't tell me her age but she is now mid 60s.) Early in her career she was dissuaded by a senior woman from delivering a contract to the hotel suite of comedian (and sexual predator) Bill Cosby. She later got into trouble when another client, French-Canadian actor Robert Goulet, began ad-libbing about his ex-wife instead of delivering his opening lines in a play, before telling the 5,000-strong theatre audience in Ohio to 'go f**k yourselves' and walking offstage. The famous people she's prepared to dish dirt on tend to be dead, like Goulet and Sharif, or convicted criminals, like Weinstein and Cosby. About others she's more tight-lipped. The famously eccentric Nic Cage was 'incredibly sweet, brilliantly talented and recognised great material', while the notoriously demanding Madonna was also 'brilliant'. 'People who have achieved greatness,' she adds, 'it tends not to be by accident.' The one person she's open about is Lopez, who she represented as an agent from 1998 before joining her company Nuyorican Productions in 2012, going on to produce movies such as Hustlers. 'When I had breast cancer in 2004, Jennifer flew in for every chemo session and rubbed my bald head,' she says. Goldsmith-Thomas and her husband of almost 30 years, lawyer Daniel Thomas, spent the days before last Christmas with Lopez and her children (the couple don't have kids, partly due to Goldsmith-Thomas's cancer treatment, she says), four months after Lopez's divorce from Ben Affleck. 'She is happy. She is focused and we are shooting a comedy. She's a great mother to her kids and stepmother to Ben's with Jen [Jennifer Garner].' In a recent Instagram post to promote a book-signing, Goldsmith-Thomas tells Lopez she can ask her anything about her career. 'And she goes, 'How much blow [cocaine] did you do?'' the author says, laughing. In her novel, three women – sometimes friends, sometimes frenemies – hustle their way to the top of the agenting tree in diverse ways. Waspy Ella Gaddy rises despite refusing to conform to the norms of her upper-class upbringing, the era's sexual orthodoxy or the agency game. Illegitimate, impoverished Brit Millicent Baxter reinvents herself as exotic Mercedes and seduces her way up the ladder. Jewish Valley girl Beanie Rosen is the most driven and the one whose relationships, while sometimes unwise (and in one case defined by a singular sexual practice), are heartfelt rather than cynical. 'There is a lot of Beanie in me,' admits Goldsmith-Thomas, herself born into a Jewish family in the San Fernando Valley. Beanie's route into showbiz mirrors her own. 'Before I went to college I had a very short actor boyfriend who wanted an agent,' she says. 'I worked in a card shop in the Valley and had the girls who worked there compile a list of agents – 5,000 of them – then spent summer trying to get him signed. I wanted to deliver that 'yes'. You had to befriend the receptionist to get to the secretary to get to the agent. And when they turned me down, I'd invent reasons to keep him on the hook – I was afraid he'd leave me. 'I paid for his headshots, doled out sexual favours to him, eventually got him signed – and he dumped me. It broke my heart, but I never forgot how good it felt when I got that 'yes'. So I applied to the William Morris Agency as a secretary, and when I eventually became an agent the first call I got was from him.' She didn't sign him. Now, 'I see his little bald head on real-estate signs.' In the 1980s, talent agencies were a man's world and a straight white man's world at that. Gay men's careers were curtailed, non-white employees were hired as window-dressing to make non-white clients feel comfortable, and all young women were seen as fair game. 'I don't think we knew it was sexist,' she says. 'We were, 'Wow, they're letting us into the club!' Whatever the rules, we had to play.' Since she was 'curvy' and 'probably reminded them of their moms or sisters', Goldsmith-Thomas relied on drive rather than sex appeal. 'Helping somebody attain their dreams fulfilled me in a way I can't explain. Was there a lot of sex there? I was in monogamous relationships – though, you know, not completely.' She snickers. 'And yes, there were drugs; a parking attendant at William Morris was the biggest dealer.' The book shows the three women growing almost as monstrous as the men; and after a decade at both William Morris then ICM, Goldsmith-Thomas quit agenting to become a producer. 'Was I monstrous? Sure. I was bull-headed. I was strong. I had to be. But I only stopped being an agent because I really wanted to write.' She'd done uncredited script polishes for years, but it was Lopez, 'a dancer who became an actor who became a singer who became a brand, who doesn't see the sky as the limit but as a resting place', who persuaded her to go for it. 'I wanted to write a soapy Valley Of The Dolls, Peyton Place kind of book that would be fun reading yet was true,' she says. The first person she showed the unfinished manuscript to was Darren Star, who she'd known since he was a junior publicist and she was an agent's assistant in the 80s. Four days later he said, 'I'm optioning this.' And four days after that it was sold in a six-figure deal to Universal (with whom Star has a multi-year producing and development deal), then seized on by Peacock. 'We're gonna start writing it in May,' says Goldsmith-Thomas. 'We've had calls from some very big stars.' There has also been a positive response from a demographic that surprised her. 'I'm hearing so much from young women, 21-year-olds who are fascinated by the times and what we did and how we did it, and I guess the sex,' she says, slightly aghast. 'They're going, 'God, it seems so great.' I guess they look at it that way because everything now is so hard and so corporate. Isn't that funny?'
