Ismailia Film Festival Hosts Exhibition on Director Shady Abdel Salam

The Ismailia International Film Festival will host an exhibition dedicated to the memory of legendary Egyptian director Shady Abdel Salam, with photos from the great photographer Mohamed Bakr. The 25th edition of the oldest running film festival in Egypt, the Middle East and Africa will run from February 28th until March 5th. Bakr’s photos will be displayed in the Islamilia Culture Palace for the entire duration of the festival.

The exhibition features photos selected from the photographer’s archive, with depictions of director Abdel Salam both behind and in front of the camera. The director is perhaps best known for his passion for telling stories with strong Egyptian identity. His best known film is ‘The Night of Counting the Years’, which tells the story of a clash between modern Egypt and its ancient roots. He also directed several other docudramas over his career, all with the aim of spreading awareness of ancient Egyptian heritage.

Over Bakr’s 60-year career in photography over the golden ages of Egyptian film, he was credited in more than a thousand films, often shooting behind-the-scenes photos whilst on set. As such, his archive is a treasure trove of Egyptian film icons, and amongst them are many never-before-seen images of Shady Abdel Salam.