Hasan El-Saifi

About Hasan El-Saifi

Hasan El-Saifi (1927–2005) was an Egyptian film director, film producer, and screenplay writer. He worked on nearly 150 Egyptian films. He has various name spellings in English due to transliteration, most commonly Hassan el-Saifi, Hassan El-Seify, and Hassan al-Saifi. Hasan El-Saifi was born on January 13, 1927, in Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt. El-Saifi started his career in film in 1946, by working as an assistant director under Helmy Rafla, and Anwar Wagdi. By 1952, El-Saifi was able to establish his own film production company. His first directed film was named, Bear Witness, People (released 20 April 1953 in Egypt). His most notable film he directed was Samara (1956), starring Taheyya Kariokka and Mohsen Sarhan. In the 1970s, he moved to Lebanon (an area later known as Syria) for a few years, where he directed several films. He died on March 25, 2005, in Cairo, after suffering from a heart attack.