Halim
A Short Life…
.
However, a life that
witnessed all the conditions and events that the nation passed through. From
singing in the princes’ and kings’ palaces and living under monarchy to singing
for the revolution, nationalization, high dam, the ‘67 defeat and the ‘73
victory under a republican government.
A Man…..
He had dreams and great
ambitions beyond ones imagination and he achieved them all. He bravely faced
his failures. A man who was extremely intelligent and a superb talent…a talent
that he guarded carefully…he knew that this was his gateway to carve his name
in history, not only the history of the arts, but also the history of a whole
nation. He could have surpassed even his wildest dreams…but it was his early
death that stood in the way to realizing all his dreams.
An Artist…
He was the voice of the
youth not only through his love songs, but also through his national songs and
movies, which often offered optimistic views of success after hardships.
He expressed the hopes of
Egyptians for a different world after the revolution and the construction of
the High Dam, after the war and after victory. He expressed all this in
national songs during the period after the war. He sang what he knew was
important and close to the hearts and minds of Egyptian, which was probably why
people felt that he was a part of them.
Even after 28 years after
his death, he is still alive in the hearts and minds of Egyptians as well as
Arabs. He symbolizes love for couples and what love means.
The 'Dark Nightingale',
'Pioneer of Youth Songs, 'Son of the Revolution', ‘The Voice of the People',
'The Warm Voice of Egypt’, 'Ambassador of Love' - all these are titles
attributed to the late singer “Abdel Halim Hafez’ who bec ame an artistic
legend, despite his short life. He passed away when he was 47 years old; his
career spanned over 25 years, in other words, a quarter of a century of
continuous creation despite sickness, suffering and agony, nevertheless he was
always present when his country or the Arab world needed his voice to portray
their state, whether it was a joyful one
or a somber one.
Throughout his career as
an artist, he presented more than 100 ballads and youth songs, 56 national
songs and 16 films with the top movie stars of that time. Every work presented,
was quickly implanted in the minds and hearts of the people; he was the
undisputable king of emotions…he delved so deep into his own feelings and
emotions; emotions that can only be described as the epitome of warmth and
affection.
In a few years, Halim
steadily climbed the ladder to stardom. He was not easy competition for the
biggest stars of the music world at that time. He beat all odds, from being a
poor orphan to becoming one of the biggest names in the music industry.
Moreover, he started a new style of short songs, where the lyrics were shorter,
fusing oriental melodies with a western feel in the harmony; a style that was
new and shocking. However, he was not afraid to endeavor in this experience
even against the songs of other singers , which usually lasted for hours, thus
his audiences were elevated into a new musical experience.
An eventful history is the
best way to describe the life of this star that is believed to be a legend and
an artistic phenomenon. On a personal level, his life was full of struggles and
many unfulfilled love stories. On the professional level he was unbeatable; he
was on top of any crisis using his mind, stubbornness and unusual confidence.
He is a human, an artist,
a citizen and an unusual star in all aspects of life. He is the 'Dark
Nightingale'. Abdel Halim Hafez sang for love and lovers cried with him; sang
for the revolution and men became proud; sang for defeat and the youth became
enthusiastic forgetting the pain of defeat and prepared for victory; sang for victory
and all the streets in Egypt became elated. He was the one who enchanted the
poor, the rich, the kings and presidents in the Arab world alike.
The Film
It is a coherent tragic
story, full of events related to a public personality loved by all Egyptians
and Arabs to an unimaginable extent. He
lived during an important period in the history of the Middle East.
On every anniversary of
Halim's death, his fans eagerly await to see a movie that portrays the story of
Halim's life. Nevertheless no one has attempted to take such a risky venture,
although Halim's life made into a movie is an unquestionable winner. Treading
in Halim’s life is treading in dangerous water. He is a legend and once
portrayed, criticism will surely rise.
It is a difficult role for
any actor to perform . Any actor knows that playing Halim will be criticized
fiercely and an inevitable comparison between the actor and Halim will be made.
The story requires a skillful writer who would be able to translate all the
events in a dramatic way and a talented director who would be able to direct a
cast and bring out their best. Plus it
would have to be an epic production in order for Halim's life to be portrayed
in the best light possible.
Only one single person was
able to get close to Abdel Halim Hafez ‘s personality, and declared clearly and
boldly that he will portray the 'Dark Nightingale' Halim in a movie . Moreover, he considers that this piece of
work is his life's dream that he had been thinking about since he became a
professional actor. Abdel Halim lived in his heart; in all parties that he
would attend he would always sing his songs with the same performance style of
the famous Halim. This proved to everybody that he is the only one who can play
the role. He is the beloved dark star Ahmed Zaki.
To play Abdel Halim Hafez
was a dream that haunted Ahmed Zaki for 12 years. He declared from time to time
that he intended to start the movie, but
things always came up and hindered the project. Eight years ago however, he
decided to take the first step toward preparing himself for the movie, and
started to collect all the information he could get his hands on about Abdel
Halim, whether related to his personal or professional life. He met with
Halim's family, with the screen writer and the director of the movie to study
every minute detail in the movie. During this period of preparation however he
was not totally free; he brilliantly portrayed the late President Gamal Abdel
Nasser and the late President Anwar El Sadat in what came to be two classic
films. Some thought that Ahmed Zaki had forgotten about Halim the movie but
that was far from the truth. He was looking for the right producer for this big
project. At first he wanted to produce the movie himself, but he had already
produced “Ayam El Sadat” or "Sadat’s Days", which made it difficult
to take on such an immense film production.
As soon as the writer,
Mahfouz Abdel Rahman, finished writing the screen play; Ahmed Zaki quickly went
to Abdel Halim Hafez’s family to get their consent, of which they gladly gave
and declared that Ahmed Zaki was the best actor to play the role. Halim's
family also insisted that only Ahmed Zaki plays Halim. They offered any help in
order to facilitate the project. Ahmed Zaki had been looking for a producer
until Good News Group offered to produce the
movie. Although Ahmed Zaki had
been ill for some time, the producer, Emad El Din Adeeb, decided to go ahead
with the production of the movie, and Adeeb too strongly believed that Ahmed
Zaki was made for this role. Adeeb's belief in Zaki's caliber as an actor was
not the only driving force behind producing this project, but on a more
personal level he wanted to support Zaki in realizing one of his life long
dreams. Emad El Din Adeeb believed whole heartedly that going full force with
the production of the movie will help Ahmed Zaki overcome his illness or in at
least give him strength, and surely enough the budget estimated for the movie
was over 17 million Egyptian pounds. Although Zaki was in an extremely fragile
state he was able to finish all his scenes before his death. It was his destiny
to die in a manner similar to the death of his own screen character.
On another level, Haitham
Ahmed Zaki stars in his first role in cinema realizing his father’ s dream and
plays young Abdel Halim Hafez. Director
Sherif Arafa and the producer Emad El
Din Adeeb agreed early on, even before Zaki's illness had reached its final
stages that Haitham is the best person for the role. Naturally there is great
resemblance between them, being father and son, in addition to the fact that at
the era of shooting Haitham Zaki was in the same age phase as the young Halim
portrayed in the movie.
Finally, 29 years after
his death the public gets to see a movie portraying Abdel Halim Hafez's life journey. The movie will not only be seen for the
legend it portrays but also for the equally unforgettable hero star of the
movie, Ahmed Zaki. Thus, awaits the Arab world the movie that will not only delight
them with one great legend but also another equally splendid idol, and no
lesser a legend. It’s the film where
two legends truly unite.
The Story
Abdel Halim Hafez’s life
is a story that everyone knows from the time he was born, the fact that he was
orphaned as a child, the moment his talent began to rise, and climb up the
ladder of fame to become one of the Arab world's top singers. The movie,
however, will present different aspects of Halim's life that are new to the
public. There are three love stories in the ‘Dark Nightingale’s’ life played by the late star Ahmed Zaki and the
new comer Haitham Ahmed Zaki who plays Halim in his youth. The first love story
is with a Pasha’s daughter, whom he falls in love with at first sight, before
he becomes a famous singer, although he had started his singing career. After a
major love story between them, it ends because her aristocratic family refuses
that she marries a singer. The story leaves a great wound in both their hearts
and “Didi” dies. The role is played by the Syrian artist “Solaf Fawakhergy”
. Halim then delves into his work in
order to forget his pain. He falls in love for the second time with the late
actress and glamorous movie star Soad Hossny, played by Soheir Ragab. The movie
reveals details of their secret love story that only came to light 25 years
after his death. The third love story is with a young girl, a grocer’s daughter
from the village where he grew up in, her name is “Nawal”, played by “Mona Zaki”. Nawal comes to Halim after her father's
death, so that he could help her find a job. He discovers that she had high
grades in school; so he decides to take care of her so that she can complete
her studies. Nawal falls head over heels for Halim, whose tender care and
paternal love make her believe that what is between them is true love . She is
shocked when she discovers the truth; and Halim is sad because of the pain he
causes his little girl.
On another level, the
movie portrays Halim who had close relationships with many presidents and kings
in the Arab world. He was called "The Son of the Revolution", which
as one will see during the movie was not only because he sang patriotically for
the revolution.
Many also know that Halim
suffered from Bilharzias, however nobody knows about his journey with the
disease, pain and suffering. Some may
have heard about it, but now they will
see it for the first time and will feel the pain he went through, his days
spent in London and the operation he had to under go. The movie unveils
Halim's last moments in life up till his
death, which will come as a shock to many. Audiences and fans will finally know
who was the one and only true love in Halim's life, the one whom he died
holding her letter in his hand.
The Actors:
The movie comprises some
of the biggest names in Egyptian cinema and the Arab world, plus a number of
new faces chosen by the director “Sherif Arafa”. Many important roles had to be filled like “Om
Kolthoum”, “Magdy El Amroussy”, “Baligh Hamdy” and other personalities who
participated in Halim's artistic path.
Leading Roles
Ahmed Zaki
An extraordinary powerful
actor in all his roles...He embodies his characters to the degree that viewers
get so engrossed in the performance that they forget they are watching an
actor, but feel they are watching a scene from life itself. He does not limit himself to a single type of role. He performed
comedies, dramas and political roles; he has been the villain and the gangster.
Ahmed Zaki delved so deep into the lowest levels of Egyptian society and
presented the viewer a real slice of life; he portrayed the minorities in
Egyptian society. He went where no other actor had dared to tread. Like the
boxer in the film “Kaboria” or “ The Crab”, the porter in the film “El Beh El
Bawab” or “ Mr. Porter”, and the naïve soldier in the camp in the film “El
Bareea'” or “ The Innocent”, the poor photographer in the film “Edhak El Soura
Tetlaa Ahla” or “Smile the Picture will be Better”. He also presented high
ranking personalities; in addition to portraying the two late presidents Gamal
Abdel Nasser and Anwar El Sadat, made into two movies considered two of the
greatest films in recent Egyptian cinema. He has also portrayed aristocratic
personalities in the movie “Maali El
Wazir” or “His Excellency the Minister”, with the same degree of excellence as
he portrayed the manipulative porter. He
also excelled in performing mysterious psychologically complexed personalities
as his role in the film “Zowgat Ragel Mohem” or “Wife of an Important Person”
and in “Emraa Wahda La Takfi” or “One Woman is Not Enough”.
He challenged the
stereotypical handsome movie star. He imposed himself as a star, though he did
not look like the typical male lead. He had dark skin with curly hair , not
Egyptian cinema's standard of good looks. He became the movie star that all producers
sought after, even though they had first refused to work with him, and he
became the heart throb for millions of women.
Since his first role in
cinema in
All along his artistic
path that lasted over 32 years of creativity, Ahmed Zaki presented 55 films. He
costarred with some of the biggest movie
stars of the time. In addition he collaborated with the most prominent screen
writers and directors of his time. His diverse choice of characters often
shocked his audiences, like his roles in “El Pasha” and “The Emperor”, but
earned him the title of ‘emperor of
acting'.
Ahmed started his acting
career on stage with a small role in the play “Hello Shalaby”; this was while he was
studying for a degree in the Institute of Arts & Theater. After graduating
in 1973, he presented his first movie in 1974; “Abanaa El Samt” or “The Sons of
Silence”. After that his talent began to
shine when he starred with some of the biggest actresses of his time, such as “
Soad Hosny” and “Madiha Kamel”. He worked with major directors and won many
awards. His first award was for best actor from the Egyptian Movie Association
for his role in the film “Eyoun La Tanam ” or “Sleepless Eyes”. In 1987, he
received two best actor awards, in the Carlo Vivary Film Festival and in the
Damascus International Film Festival, for his role in “Zawgat Ragol Mohem” or “The
Wife of an Important Person” . In 1992, he was again awarded best actor in the
Carthage International Film Festival for the film “Ded El Hekouma” or “Against the Government”. And,
President of Egypt, Hosny Mubarak, awarded Ahmed Zaki with a first class
ranking honor in Arts & Science for his performance in the film “Ayam El
Sadat ” or “Sadat’s Days”.
Ahmed Zaki portrays in the
movie "Halim" the role of Abdel Halim Hafez in his older age. All his
scenes were almost complete before Ahmed Zaki passed away. Ahmed Zaki confirmed
in the start of shoot celebration, organized by the production company Good
News Group that he was glad to be back in front of the camera after the journey
with his disease to realize his dream by making a film about the ‘Dark
Nightingale’ Abdel Halim Hafez. He felt that his life and Halim's life were
similar in many ways; they both grew up in the same village in Sharkeya, both
at some point in their lives suffered from bilharzias contacted from swimming
in the same river, as all the kids of the village couldn't resist the fish in
that river.
With regards to his
capability to present Halim’s personality Zaki said,”I was able to present
personalities that were difficult to present like Taha Hussein, who was one of
the most prominent Arab literary figures and
Abdel Nasser and Sadat. According to me, the matter is not only limited
to appearance; I delve deep into the personality and try to collect as much
material as possible about the character. As for Halim, things were different.
Halim is a part of my life; I grew up listening to him, and was moved by both
his love songs and his national songs. Halim was not just a singer with a great
voice but he was an artist, extremely intelligent, extremely talented…trapped
in an ailing body. Halim is a song of struggle, success, sickness, pain and I
can only hope to present him in a form that people will be pleased with.”
Haitham Ahmed Zaki
He is a new face whose
fame is attributed to being the son of the late star Ahmed Zaki and the late
star Hala Fouad. Nobody knew his desire to act or his capability until the
director “Sherif Arafa” cast him to play the role of Abdel Halim Hafez in the
fim “Halim” to interpret the young Halim
in his artistic life.
Haitham was afraid of the
experience and was at first hesitant to start his acting career with such a
difficult and challenging role. He however could not resist being a part of his
father’s life dream. Haitham’s fear and hesitation did not vanish until he saw
that everybody was amazed with his interpretation and performance, which was
also a surprise to him. Everybody felt that his father’s love for acting had
been transported to him and for the first time the film crew truly felt that
talent is genetic.
Haitham believed he was
talented when his father told him after he saw him perform in a school play,
when he was 11. He presented the role of “Shylock” in “Shakespeare Trial”. Haitham
affirms that his father's confidence in his talent was enormous and he had told
him that one day he would make a great actor in the Arab world. Haitham says:”
My father was amazed with my acting abilities when I was performing a scene for
Marlon Brando in the film “The Godfather”. It was on that day that he
discovered that I had talent. Afterwards we started to exchange roles,
sometimes he played the role of the son and I acted the role of the father and
vice versa.”
Haitham adds: “My
father did not discourage me from acting, on the contrary he wanted me to be an
actor, but ‘Halim’ was the real chance that was offered to me to show my
talent. Mr. Adel Adeeb proposed that I play Halim’s role in his youth and that
was before my father passed away. I could not refuse to take part in my
father's dream project. To be frank, despite that the film is a real chance to
prove myself as a professional actor; I was hoping that the film “Halim” would
be my fifth or sixth film in my artistic life,
so that I would have acquired enough experience to present an important
personality like Halim.”
Haitham confirms:”The
conditions in which I started acting would have been hard for any actor…not
only because it was my first movie, but more importantly I had to start shooting
two weeks after my father's death and my father was everything to me. To make
things even harder I had to play the role of a very prominent figure, half of
this role was played by Ahmed Zaki, whom I can not be compared to, all of this
gave me the strength in front of the camera, though I am timid by nature, I
imagined that my father is next to me which made me feel less intimidated.”
Haitham adds:”Working
with a big director like Sherif Arafa
gave me great experience in such a short period; he advised and directed
me continuously, and dealing with a major company like Good News Group is a
real opportunity, because it is a company seeking to advance and evolve a more
refined art.”
Haitham loved acting and
desired to be an actor, but was afraid of failure, namely because he was the
son of the legendary star Ahmed Zaki who excelled in every role he played. He
was scared to pursue his love of acting for fear of comparison that will
definitely be made, which in his opinion would not be in his favor. However it
was faith that played its role and Haitham Zaki was destined to postpone his
exams for the year and stand in front of the camera and act for the first time
in his life…needless to say it was a nerve-racking first day of shooting.
However when he stood in front of the camera and all his anxiety disappeared,
mainly due to the encouragement of the director Sherif Arafa. Tension, however
did not disappear totally until he saw the look of thrill and pride from the
crew on the set, and hearing the applause after playing his first scene; they
could not believe that they were witnessing the birth of a new talent right
before their eyes.
Haitham is still afraid
that viewers will not accept him, especially since the movie does not enable
him to flex all his acting muscles and
potentials; for the one main aim is to portray Halim as closely as possible;
nevertheless, there are a lot of people who envy Haitham Zaki's big break. He
feels it was a tough test, and he was
not ready for it at the moment, but he did his best to succeed. He hopes that
the film will be a success and that the public will accept him because they are
the most important factor, in order for him to be able to continue his path in
the artistic world. He has decided to become a professional actor but it will
all depend on the public's opinion and feedback.
Mona Zaki
She is one of the first
ranking stars in Egyptian cinema today; she is on the top list of actresses.
Most films are proposed to her before any other actress of her generation. Her
participation in cinema however is not only restricted to youth cinema, she is
one of the stars of her generation who participated and still participates in
films of an older generation. She has previously performed with the star Ahmed
Zaki in two films, “Halim” is considered to be the third. The two films are: ”Edhak
El Soura Tatlaa Helwa ” or “Smile the Picture will be Better” and “Ayam El
Sadat” or “Sadat’s Days” where she played
the role of the young Gehan El
Sadat, when she first fell in love with Sadat. She also finished shooting the
movie “Dam El Ghazal” or “Deer’s Blood ” (Maroon) with the two big cinema stars
Nour El Sherif and Yousra.
Mona started her career on
TV with TV series still considered to be some of the most successful series in
Egyptian television. Though she appeared in the film “El Qatl El Laziz ” or “Sweet
Killing” by the director Ashraf Fahmy, with the two big stars Mervat Amin and
Elham Shahin, her real breakthrough happened after the film “Saeedi Fi El Gamaa
Al Amerikya” or “Saeedi in the American
University” which was the beginning of cinema specifically targeting youth.
Mona showed her capability from her very first role and until today with12
movies. Her latest film was “Abou Ali” Last year; she also demonstrated her
ability in comedy when she starred in “Khalty Faransa” or “My Aunt Faransa”
where she perfected her role in every aspect.
Mona plays in “Halim”
the role of “Nawal” the poor girl from
the village that came to Halim to find a job after her father’s death, the village
grocer, where Halim lived. Halim decided to adopt her and educate her but she
fell in love with him and would tell her friend about the attention he was
giving her; however, she was shocked when she found out the truth.
Mona is happy because it
is the third time she acts alongside the great Ahmed Zaki and that she was
lucky to have finished all her scenes with him before his death. She is also
pleased to participate in such an important and major work which portrays the
life of a prominent figure such as “Abdel Halim Hafez”. Though a lot of people
thought that she would play the r ole of the late artist “Soad Hosny” due to
the great resemblance between them, she however is more delighted to play
'Nawal', because of the various dimensions that the character has, which helps
bring out aspects in Halim’s personality that a lot do not know about. Mona
hopes that the film will be a great success as Ahmed Zaki dreamed it to be.
Solaf Fawakhergy
She is a very successful
Syrian actress, and was able to prove that from her first appearance in cinema
in
Solaf Fawakhergy won many
awards as best actress for her work on television in several Arab Festivals,
especially for the series “Saqr Qureich” and “Shahrazad”. She became a
permanent star in Ramadan TV series, after becoming a star that the Arab
audiences like to see in all major work.
The participation of Solaf
in the film “Halim” was a surprise for her and for the Arab public. It has been
a long time since actors from different Arab countries participate together in
movies and so Emad El Din Adeeb's decision to place Fawakhergy in
"Halim" is a risky one.
Solaf Fawakhergy confirms
that she was hesitant to accept the role, at the beginning after receiving the
call from producer Emad El Din Adeeb, telling her that she was chosen for a
role in the film “Halim” that he is producing.
She was hesitant to accept the role because she had never thought before
of acting in Egyptian cinema, which is quite different from Syrian cinema. But
as soon as she learned that the hero is Ahmed Zaki and the director is Sherif
Arafa, she immediately agreed without
knowing anything about the movie or about her role, other than she will be
playing the role of “Didi”, Abdel Halim’s lover. Solaf Fawakhergy kept it a secret while she
was in Syria and waited for the announcement of the movie and its stars, and it
was then that she was bombarded with congratulations from everyone. After two
months, Solaf met with the director Sherif Arafa. This was when he met her for
the first time, he affirmed that she was the “Didi” he had imagined. While she
was working in "Halim" she got 10 movie and TV offers to work in
Egypt, but she refused to accept any of them until she sees the Egyptian
public's reaction to her role in "Halim", namely because Egyptian
viewers comprise a huge share of Arab viewers and they are genuine movie
lovers.
Gamal Soliman
He is a Syrian star who
earned his renowned reputation from playing roles in historical series on
Syrian TV among which is his role in the series “Salah El Din El Ayouby”.
Gamal plays in the movie
the role of “Ramzy”, an anchor on Egyptian radio who was one of the closest
people to Halim; he convinced Halim to record with him on radio several
episodes in which Abdel Halim Hafez would talk about his life from childhood
and the beginning of his artistic career. Gamal Soliman finished all his scenes
with the artist Ahmed Zaki before his loss. Director Sherif Arafa started
shooting the scenes of Gamal Soliman and Ahmed Zaki inside a studio which was a
replica of the old radio station. Gamal Soliman agreed to do the role without
any hesitation, saying that he grew up listening to the voice of the
revolutionary songs of Abdel Halim Hafez
, and that he learned to love and live the most beautiful love stories
hearing Abdel Halim Hafez’s love songs. He feels it is an honor to be chosen to
work in a film about Abdel Halim Hafez, by a great director like Sherif Arafa
and an immaculately attentive producer like Emad El Din Adeeb. He said that he
had never imagined the day, that he would be part of a project that would
glorify the 'Dark Nightingale' and stand in front of the ‘Emperor of Egyptian
cinema, Ahmed Zaki’.
Ezzat Abo Ouf
He is a musician who
turned to acting in the beginning of the 70’s after his band members, which
were his sisters, disbanded. Their band was known as the “Four M”. Although he started to play small
roles in films and TV series, soon he became a well known name in acting. He
excelled in playing the villain, especially in his TV roles. He has appeared
till now in more than 23 films and won many awards as best actor in more than a
festival for his role in the film “Asrar El Banat” or “Girls’ Secrets”, which
is considered a real breakthrough in Egyptian cinema.
Ezzat Abo Ouf plays the
role of the musician “Mohamed Abdel Wahab” in "Halim", who had a close relationship with Abdel Halim
Hafez and established “Sout El Hob” or “Voice of Love” for music production
with Abdel Halim Hafez. He had also encouraged Halim in the beginning of his
life, after substantiating that the coming days are the days of Abdel Halim
Hafez’s songs.
Secondary Roles
Soheir Ragab
She started her career as a belly dancer, and then
she quitted dancing to be a professional actress. She participated in several
films; her first film was “El Nems” with Mahmoud Abdel Aziz; followed by three
other movies, than she stopped acting for a while, and made her come back in
the theater. The last play was “Tasawar Ana Moutafael” or “Imagine I Am
Optimistic” with comedian Ahmed Bedeir
Soheir plays the role of the late “Soad Hosny”. Ahmed
Zaki chose her after he saw her at a friend's party. He noticed the great
resemblance between her and Soad Hosny. At that time, he was in the preparation
phase of the movie and before he had fallen ill. After that Soheir Ragab met
with director Sherif Arafa, who was also amazed at her resemblance with the
late Soad Hosny, not only in the features but also in her speech and even her
laughter, as Sherif confirmed.
Soheir Ragab had to lose weight in order to look like
the young Soad Hosny. It is the period when a love story started with Abdel
Halim Hafez. Soheir Ragab confirms that she is extremely happy to participate
in this work, though it is a small role it can show her acting potential. She
is quite satisfied to participate in a movie about Abdel Halim Hafez starring
Ahmed Zaki and directed by Sherif Arafa.
Salah Abdallah
He is a very successful actor in secondary roles. His
artistic breakthrough was in the series “Sonbol Bad El Mellione” or “Sonbol
after One Million” and in the series “Zeab El Gabal” or “Mountain’s Wolves”.
Since 1991, he started to play in the cinema; his real big break was in the
movie “Mowaten wa Mokhber wa Harami” or “Citizen, Detective and a Thief” with
director Daoud Abdel Sayed. He received for his role in that movie an award as
best actor in the International Festival of the Syrian Cinema.
Salah plays in "Halim" the role of “Magdy
El Amroussy”, Halim’s best friend, director of his work and keeper of all Halim’s
secrets. Salah plays the role of an old man in other term his scenes were shot
with Ahmed Zaki. Salah Abdallah states that although he appears in a few scenes
it is quiet satisfied for having participated in the last work of Ahmed Zaki
and in a movie about a singing legend like Abdel Halim Hafez.
Samira Abdel Aziz
She is an actress on theater and on TV. She has a
long history since she started working in the radio in 1957. She is renowned
for the mother roles in series; she only presented one single film in 2000 “Emeraa
Taht Al Moraqba’ or “A Women under Observation”. In "Halim", she
plays the role of Halim’s elder sister “Aleya” who raised him and accompanied
him all along his journey of success and sickness.
Raouf Moustafa
An actor who is a relatively newcomer in TV, though
he has acted in the cinema previously, but in very small roles difficult to
remember. He appeared in 5 movies, the most famous is “Baheb El Ceema” or “I
love Cinema”. In"Halim", he plays the role of the Pasha, “Didi’s”
father, Halim’s lover, who objected to their marriage because of the social
differences.
Yasser El Tobgy
He is a theater actor, freshly starting. The director
chose him from Khaled Galal’s team to play the role of young Magdy El Amroussy.
Hassan El Adl
He is an actor and a director, and works in both TV
and in cinema. He presented till now 10 films, 4 of which are with the great
director Youssef Chahin. In"Halim", he plays the role of the composer
“Mohamed El Mougy” who accompanied Abdel Halim Hafez since his youth till his
death. Hassan El Adl plays the second phase of El Mougy’s life.
Youssef Fawzy
He is a grand actor. He is famous for secondary roles
in cinema and TV. He plays in the movie the role of “Doctor Yassin”who
accompanied Abdel Halim Hafez all along his period of sickness and during his
travels for treatment abroad.
Kamal Soliman
He is an actor in TV and in theater, known for
playing secondary roles. He plays in the film the role of “Shehata”, Abdel
Halim Hafez’s assistant in his second phase of age.
Mohamed Shouman
He is a new actor. Sherif Arafa discovered and
presented him in the film “Foul El Sin El Azim” or “The Greatest Bean of China”
. This was his breakthrough; he started to appear in several films, series and
advertisements. His latest film was “El Sefara Fi El Emara” or “The Embassy in
The Building”. He plays in the film the role of the waiter in the coffee shop
situated in front of Halim’s house. After the revolution, he becomes the coffee
shop ’s owner. He presents the poor social class which has been improving its
situation after the revolution.
Sabry Fawaz
He is an actor in theater, and works at present in
TV. One of his famous roles is in the series “El Asdekaa” or “Friends”. He
plays in the film the role of the great composer “Baligh Hamdy”.
Adel Shabaan
He is an actor in theater. He has never been in front
of either a cinema camera or a T.V. one. Director Sherif Arafa chose him to
play the role of “Ismail Shabana”, Halim’s elder brother, who was a singer but
never made it.
Youssef El Sherif
He started to work as a model in advertisement and in
fashion shows. Director Sherif Sabry
chose him to participate in his first film “Sabaa Warakat Quotechena” or “Seven
Playing cards”. Afterwards, he made his way in TV; he played in two series. In
"Halim" film, he symbolizes the Egyptian people and the changes they
encountered throughout the different ages via Halim’s concerts on victory, war
and defeat.
Ingy Badawy
She is a new actress. She started to play on the
stage for amateur acting and directing. She moved to work in Egypt after
studying acting in Canada. She worked as a model in advertisements. She has
appeared till now in 4 series. Her first film was “Hamada Yelaab” or “Hamada
plays” in a small role. In Halim's film, she plays the role of the Egyptian
girl who represents with her boyfriend “Youssef EL Sherif” the Egyptian people
in all their historical phases from the Fifties till the Seventies. They both
are symbols of the Egyptian people.
Yasmin Hesham
A new face, she will play the role of Didi’s closest
friend, whom Didi shares with her, her love story with Abdel Halim Hafez.
Mohamed Abdel Halim
He is an amateur actor on stage. He works in a
theater group in the Cultural Center of Fayoum. The director Sherif Arafa chose
him to play the role of the grand poet “Abdel Rahman El Abnoudy” because of the
great resemblance between them.
Mohamed Abdel
Khalek
He is a beginner actor on stage. He plays in the
movie the young composer “Kamal El Tawil”.
Ezzat Badran
He is an actor on stage and in TV. He is famous for
playing secondary roles in series. He plays in the movie the second phase of
age for the composer “Kamal El Tawil”.
Mohamed Younis
He is a theater actor. He works in the State Theater
and participated in 5 movies with small roles. He also started to work in TV
with two series till now. He plays in Halim the youth phase of the composer “Mohamed
El Mougy”.
Alaa Shalaby
He is an amateur actor in theater. The director chose
him to play the role of the notable writer “Ihsan Abdel Kodous” who is
responsible for the acquaintance of Abdel Halim Hafez with his first love Didi.
Mohamed Chahin
He is a theater actor in Khaled Galal’s theater team.
The director chose him to play the role of “Abdallah” the violent player in
Halim’s group and who got a nervous breakdown after the defeat.
Abdel Rehim
Hassan
He is a TV actor and works in the State Theater. He
plays in the film the role of the musician “Ahmed Fouad Hassan”, the maestro of
the music band which accompanied Abdel Halim during his second age phase.
Bahaa Jahin
A well known poet, he is the son of the late eminent
poet Salah Jahin who was a major personality in Abdel Halim’s life. Bahaa works
as a journalist in Al Ahram Institute. The director Sherif Arafa chose him to
play the role of his father “Salah Jahin” for the great resemblance between
them.
Bayoumy Fouad Hadad
A new face, he plays in the movie the role of “Ahmed
Fouad Hassan” at his youth phase.
Salwa Azzab
A new face, she plays in the movie the role of the
grand singer “Om Kalthoum”.
Maher Selim
A new face, he plays the role of “Hassan” the voice
engineer in the Egyptian radio.
Siham Abdel
Salam
She is a TV actress. She plays in the film the role
of the Manager of Students' Hostel where Nawal lives.
Galal El
Hagrassy
A young actor, he plays in the film the role of the
great photographer Farouk Ibrahim who always accompanied Abdel Halim Hafez even
during his sleeping time.
Abdel Rahim El
Tenir
A young actor, the director Sherif Arafa chose him to
play the role of the poet Kamel El Shenawy.
Amany Moussa
She is a theater actress. She plays in the movie the
role of Didi’s mother.
Amro Youssry
A young actor, he has been working for a long period
in the cinema and in TV. He performs small roles. He plays in the movie the
personality of the twins “Ali and Moustafa Ameen". Director Sherif Arafa
chose him for the role due to the great resemblance between him and the twins.
Film Makers
Sherif Arafa
One of the great directors in the Egyptian cinema, he
started his work as a director in
Sherif was able to prove himself as a big director
among a generation of giants. This was due to his work as assistant director
with some of the best directors of the time among which were Hassan El Imam,
Mohamed Khan and Atef Salem plus his work with his father Saad Arafa.
The choice of “Good News Group”, the Company
producing “Halim”, for Sherif Arafa was not out of the blue. He is capable of
choosing the right actors for the role, in addition to his skill to make the
actor forget himself and delve deep into the character.
The director Sherif Arafa affirms that from the
beginning, he agreed with the producer Emad El Din Adeeb that Haitham will play
the role of Abdel Halim in his youth. It would have been ridiculous for Ahmed
Zaki to play the young Halim in his twenties. Arafa was further assured that
Haitham Zaki was perfect for the role after Haitham Zaki did a screen test for
one of his father's scenes. He discovered that Haitham Zaki was an extremely
talented actor and his opinion was further proved right during Haitham Zaki's
scenes.
Arafa believes that the movie is colossal in every
aspect, whether on the production level or the stars participating in it, or
even the style of shooting which has been absent for a while in the Egyptian
cinema. The film was shot over a period of 11 weeks; Ahmed Zaki shot for 4
weeks and Haitham Zaki shot for 7 weeks. Shooting was done in several places;
the external shots were more than the internal ones, in addition to the filming
in London which lasted for a week.
Mahfouz Abdel Rahman
He is "Halim's" screen writer. he started
his life by working as a journalist then he turned to write short stories till
he began to write drama and several series since 1965. The most famous ones
are: “Bawbet El Halawany” or “El Halawany’s Gate” and “Om Kalthoum”, in
addition to many plays.
Abdel Rahman wrote two movies: “Nasser
In regard to the screen play, Mahfouz says: “I have
not sought in the film to document the events but to deal with the life in
Egypt during Abdel Halim Hafez’s life, of course imagination plays a certain
role in some situation and this is what we call creativity.
Ammar El Sherei
It is a name with a history and a significant mark in
the world of music and movie sound tracks. He began to compose after graduating
from the Faculty of Arts where he majored in English Literature. He composed
many songs for the young mainstream, he even established the “Friends Group”
which included three young famous stars of the 80’s: Mona Abdel Ghani, Alaa
Abdel Khalek and Hanan. He later started to compose sound tracks for movies and
TV series. Some of his most famous works for TV are for the series “Raafat El
Hagan and “Demou Fi Eyoun Waqeha” or “Tears
in Shameless Eyes”. He also composed sound tracks for more than 40 movies; the
most famous were “El Baria” or “The Innocent” and “Hob Fi El Zinzana” or “Love
in Jail”
Ammar El Sherei is famous for his marvelous
capability to rearrange music by such classics as Om Kalthoum, Farid El Atrash
and Abdel Halim Hafez.
As with regard to "Halim’s" sound track,
Ammar says: The music in "Halim" will be a revolution in movie sound
tracks. It will follow two parallel paths; the first depends principally on the
original songs of Abdel Halim without touching its artistic value; the second
is what I will add in a new form to these melodies. The surprise is that Ammar
will play himself among the orchestra for the music film. It is well known that
Ammar plays more than one music instrument.
Ayman Abo El Makarem
He is "Halim's" Director of Photography.
His renowned reputation started with movies made mainly for the young main
stream mo vie goers. However, he worked as an assistant D.O.P with many
prominent names during the 80’s and 90’s. He worked as an assistant with Said
El Shemy, Tarek El Telmessany and Mohsen Ahmed. He worked as a cameraman in the
film “El Mohager” or “The Immigrant” for Youssef Chaheen. This is considered to
be the most important chance that he got in the cinema.
He started to work as photography director in the
film “Qeshr El Bondok” or “Hazzelnut Shell”. He worked in several films; the
latest was “Ahlam Omrena” or “The Dreams of our lives”, which was released in
the summer of 2005. He also worked as D.O.P for several video clips.
The film “Halim” is the third collaboration for Ayman
with the artist Ahmed Zaki, after working together in the movie “Hestereya” and in “Edehak El Soura Tetlaa
Helwa” and it is the fourth collaboration with director Sherif Arafa. He worked
with him in the movies “El Nazer” or “The Principal”, “Aboud Ala El Hedoud” or “Aboud
on the Border” and “Edhak El Soura Tetlaa Helwa”.
Ayman Abou El Makarem stated that both the producer
Emad El Din Adeeb and the director Sherif Arafa chose him to be part of their
project based on the fact that he had worked with Ahmed Zaki and understands
his character. Ayman clearly states that the equipment used in filming "Halim"
is no different from that used abroad. This will be in favor of the movie when
it's released in Europe and their countries for the movie will be no different
from the quality of other movies. Abou El Makarem, too, affirms that the
lighting and shooting technique used in the movie are totally new.
Dina Nadim
She is a costume designer. Though she is young, she
was able to prove herself in the cinema world and is an obvious talent in the
world of movie costume designs. Dina started as an art director in video clips
and in advertisements, then she moved to work in costume designs in the film “Mafia”
with the director Sherif Arafa with whom she also worked in the film “Foul El
Seen El Azeem” .
Despite the fact that Dina Nadim has started her
first steps as a professional actor as well, she has no intention to leave her
principal work as costume designer for movies.
With regard to the costumes in "Halim",
Dina says: "It is very hard for any fashion designer to design costumes
for a period that he or she did not live in and be aware of all its details,
nevertheless the references or sources one gets for that period fill those
gaps. So, "Halim" is a real test for me and for all those taking part
in it; the movie will prove my capabilities as a costume designer".
Dina adds," "Halim contains all the
challenges that anyone desires in their work to be able to fully succeed and
consider themselves a cinema maker. The most difficult scenes in the film are
the ones related to concerts especially the scene of the song “Qareat El Fingan”
or “Reader of the Coffee Cup”; the number of extras was enormous; exceeding 350
persons from different ages. Costumes had to be designed for them and adjusted
as needed because of their presence in the concert. In addition, the film does
not concentrate on one single historical period but there are four periods,
every period has its special form; it stars from the 40’s till the 70’s,
covering all social categories. It is a difficult period of time and full of
events through which Egypt went through, the hardest part was that the fashion
changed in each period. The work also included a large number of actors who
appear in more than one period and each one of them needed a full set of
costumes according to each era, in addition to the extras’ costumes that also
had to be made for that time in history.
Onsi Abou Seif
He is very famous in the domain of set designing. He
was able to prove himself from the beginning among a world of giants in the
world of set design. He was the student of the biggest name in the world of
cinema: Shady Abdel Salam; he worked as an assistant for a certain period of
time with Salah Marei, who is the second name after Shady Abdel Salam in the
world of set design. He worked on most
of Youssef Chahin’s movies namely those which needed difficult and different
sets, such as “Alexandria Kaman We Kaman” or “Alexandria More and More” and “El
Mohager” or “The Immigrant”.
As with regards to "Halim", Onsi Abou Seif
says:” I draw all the designs so it will be easy to apply it under my
supervision. I did not use in "Halim" traditional materials such as
wood and glass but I have used these materials completely different from what
is used in the Egyptian cinema. The viewers will recognize it easily; like the
scenes of Halim in his room at the hospital in London which were shot in Egypt
at Galal Studio. Onsi Abou Seif affirms that his intention was not to copy
reality even for Abdel Halim Hafez’s apartment, because he is making a
documentary but rather a movie for the cinema, which has to resort to a lot of
imagination.
Moataz El Kateb
He began his work as an editor in movies made for
young main stream movie goers. His first movie was “Aboud Ala El Hedoud” or “Aboud
on the Border” with director Sherif Arafa with whom he worked afterwards in 4
other movies. The latest was “Foul El Sin El Azim”.
Gamal Agamy
He is the scenes' coordinator. He comes from a long
and well known line of scene coordinators. He inherited his talent and
profession from his father and grandfather. Gamal Agamy became famous in the 80’s;
he started with a TV movie in 1981. Afterwards, he began working in all of
director Sherif Arafa's movies and worked with some other prominent directors
such as Nader Galal, Saeed Marzouk and Osma Fawzy
As with regard to working in "Halim", Gamal
says: "The movie is a real big break for all those involved in and a
challenge at the same time; it is full of difficulties. The movie deals with a
major historical period in the life of the Egyptian people; thus it requires
double effort from the whole crew, in comparison to any other film. Early
preparation has facilitated the task and the production company has offered all
the financial support for all our demands. Gamal Agamy adds:” The most
difficult set was the radio station; we had to choose among 6 types of chairs
and 7 types of tables which all belonged to the 70’s.
Crew
Directed By: Sherif Arafa
Screen play: Mahfouz Abdel Rahman
Produced By: Good
News Group
Good News Production Supervisors: Sameh Gobran, Adel Adeeb
Production Supervised By: Sherif Arafa films
Executive Producer: Amin
El Masry
Production Manager:Essam Saber
Producer Directors Amro
El Masry
Islam
Hamza
Mohamed
El Dayasaty
Executive Producers Wessam
Azmy
Omar
Arafa
Karim
Youssef
Medhat
Ghaly
Executive Director: Ahmed Alaa El Deeb
First Assistant Director: Shady El Fakahrany
Second Assistant Director: Maryam Abo Ouf
Third Assistant Director: Omar Roushdy Hamed
D.O. P: Ayman Abou El Makarem
Assistant D.O.P: Yehia Abass
Moustafa
Fahmy
Edited By: Moataz El Kateb
Music By: Ammar El Sherei
Art Director: Onsi
Abo Seif
Set Design: Tamer
Ismael
Amal
Mansour
Set Design Supervisor: Mowahed Khalil
Costume Designer: Dina
Nadim
Costume Executive Inas
Abdallah
Amgad
Nagib
Reda
Ezzat
Sound
Ahmed Abdel Khalek
Sound Design & Mixing: Empire
Costume Assistant Reda
Mahmoud
Mohamed
Tayea
Cameraman: Ahmed
Youssef
Ahmed
Mokhtar
Assistant of Cameraman: Hussein Bakr
Light Supervisor: Ahmed Hassan El Gamal
Assistant: Hassan
Abdel Qawy
Abbas
Abdel Rehim
Ismael
Kamel Mohamed
Moustafa
El Saeed Taha
Hossam
Samy Hamed
Khaled
Mohamed Khalil
Yasser
Fawzy Abdel Latif
Light Technician: Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim
Atef Sayed Ahmed
Hesham Ali Mahmoud
Camera Supervisor:
Mohamed Hussein
Camera Assistant:
Ahmed Samir Abdo
Nasser
Fathy Ahmed
Selim
Hassan Moustafa
Abdel
Hameed El Sayed Abdallah
Mohamed
Maher Faheem
Camera Technician: Kamal
Ismael Youssef
Crane Technician: Mohamed
Eid Mahmoud
Voice Engineer: Ahmed
Abdel Khalek
Voice Assistant: Alaa
Abdel Khalek
Clapperboard: Khairy
Farag
Photography: Hassan
Fouad Adam
Studio
Director Casting Company
Ahmed
Hassan
Assistant of Studio Director Adel Tork
Accessories Gamal
Agamy
Accessories' Assistant Sayed Ahmed
Ahmed Zaki's make up: Dominique “France"
Christine
"England"
Mona Zaki's make up: Zeinab
Make up Hassan
Taha
Make up Assistant Sayeda
Gabr
Hairdresser: Mohamed Abdel Wahab
Hairdresser Assistant: Walid Kamal
Hossein
Mohamed
Mona Zaki's hairdresser: Ossama Darweesh
Haitham Zaki's Hairdresser: Fatma El Bakry
Drivers: Saad
Abdallah
Ibrahim
Ibrahim
Hassan
Nasser Eissa
Ramadan
Abdel Moneim