Biography: Egyptian director born on 23 October 1947 in Cairo. He graduated from the High Cinema Institute in 1969 and was appointed teacher's assistant. He worked as a film critic then as an assistant director to many great names, including Youssef Chahine and Hassan El Emam. His directorial debut was The Circle of Revenge (1976), after which he directed various successful films, including The Suspect (1981), Shams El Zanati (1990) and His Excellency the Minister (2000). He also directed a number of TV series, including Season of Flowers (2000), and Cinderella (2006).