Youssef Chahine

Chahine's final film, co-directed with Khaled Youssef, depicts a corrupt and violent police officer, torture, arbitrary treatment and a population rising against a police station. According to the Los Angeles Times, Egyptian censors wanted to cut approximately thirty minutes from the film; the directors resisted the cuts and the film was eventually released.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

L'Émigré, inspired by the story of Joseph, was challenged in court on the grounds that depicting a prophet violated religious norms. A court of first instance ordered its prohibition in late 1994. In March 1995, an appellate court overturned the ban and restored the right to distribute it; further litigation subsequently prolonged the controversy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

Le Destin, an explicit plea for tolerance in the face of religious fanaticism, was received as a response to the fundamentalists who had challenged Chahine's earlier films and again prompted allegations of hostility towards Islam.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

His documentary segment about Cairo prompted accusations of portraying the country in a degrading light. The censorship authorities objected to several scenes and made release conditional on modifications.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

The autobiographical film Alexandrie pourquoi ? was interpreted, at the time of the Camp David accords and Egyptian-Israeli rapprochement, as a plea for tolerance compatible with Anwar Sadat's approach. Against a backdrop of regional opposition to that policy, the film was banned in several Arab countries.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

Le Moineau linked the 1967 defeat to corruption and internal dysfunction in Egypt. The film was banned in the country before eventually being authorised.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim