Samir Farid Collection in Akkasah: Center For Photography at NYUAD
Akkasah is the Center for Photography at New York University Abu Dhabi. It focuses on the histories and contemporary practices of photography in the Middle East and North Africa, documenting and preserving the diverse photography from the region. The aim is to establish a major hub for scholarly research on photography in the region, with a growing archive containing more than 33,000 images that includes donated and acquired photos.
It recently acquired more a collection of images from the late Egyptian writer and film critic Samir Farid (December 1, 1943 – April 4, 2017). The Samir Farid Collection consists of more than 3000 images from Egypt bought from various photographic studios and individual photographers and their private collections. The negatives include images from 265 Egyptian films produced between 1937-1988.
Akkasah has uploaded the first phase of the Samir Farid Collection online, consisting of 615 photos from 49 Egyptian films between 1943-1974.
This is a rare occasion for an institution in the Gulf region to share such a rich collection of images related to cinema. The photos have been digitised and labelled to include the film titles, directors, actors and the year the film was released. Each film has its own reference number too. It’s a valuable resource for cinephiles or anyone studying or researching film, especially Egyptian cinema. So far it is only available in English language and I am not sure if the data will be in available in Arabic too.
I spent an entire afternoon going over the photos to make a selection to share here. Not only is the collection an insight into classic Egyptian cinema, but also an insight into fashion, hairstyles, home interiors, domestic and social spaces, albeit mostly of the bourgeois.
I was also struck by the amount of images depicting lust and desire which we don’t often see in contemporary Arab cinema (you may recall this post titled “Clean Cinema” from last year). Needless to say, these were the first photos I collected to post here. More images from a longer list of films are added below too.
The photos are from films of varying genres, including historical dramas, musicals, comedies, and based on some of the titles and images, I’m guessing a couple of noirs too. There’s a lot from the collection to compare and contrast to films from the same period made in other parts of the world, especially Hollywood which appears to be an obvious influence. But this is a topic I’ll leave for another day.
Lust and Desire
More photos from the Samir Farid Collection
Les Miserables (Dir. Kamal Selim, 1943)
Actors in Image: Amina Rizk, Zinat Sedki
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref3
The Gentle Sex (Dir. Ahmed Kamal Morsi, 1945)
Actors in Image: Madiha Yousri
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref7
The Mother (Dir. Omar Jamee'i, 1945)
Actors in Image: Amina Rizk, Laila Fawzy
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref6
Angels in Hell (Dir. Hassan Al Imam, 1946)
Actors in Image: Elsayed Bedir, Faten Hamama
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref8
Fruit of the Crime (Dir. Syed Ziyada, 1947)
Actors in Image: Rawheya Khaled, Zouzou Shakib
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref15
Women Are Devils (Dir. Hassan Al Imam, 1947)
Actors in Image: Laila Fawzy
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref20
Zahra (Dir. Hussain Fawzy, 1947)
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref21
The Mighty Samson (Kamel Al Tilmisany, 1948)
Actors in Image: Hagar Hamdy
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref26
Nargis (Dir. Abdel Fattah Hassan, 1948)
Actors in Image: Nour El Hoda
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref29
The Unknown Future (Ahmed Salem, 1948)
Actors in Image: Madiha Yousri
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref31
People’s Gossip (Hassan Helmy, 1949)
Actors in Image: Shadya
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref39
Just My Luck! (Dir. Henry Barakat, 1950)
Actors in Image: Wedad Hamdy, Mimi Shakib, Shadya
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref43
Days of My Youth (Dir. Gamal Madkour, 1950)
Actors in Image: Aziza Helmy, Mahmoud El Meleigy
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref41
Oh, Men (Dir. Helmy Rafla, 1950)
Actors in Image: Mohamed Fawzy
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref42
Good News! (Dir. Abbas Kamel, 1952)
Actors in Image: Karem Mahmoud, Laila Fawzy
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref50
As You Like (Dir. Helmy Rafla, 1952)
Actors in Image: Laila Fawzy, Mohsen Sarhan, Taheyya Kariokka, Aziz Othman
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref55
Gilded Youth (Dir. Hassan Saifi, 1953)
Actors in Image: Nagah Salem
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref63
The Smiles of Fate (Dir. Ilhamy Hassan, 1955)
Actors in Image: Hussein Riad, Zouzou Nabil
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref82
The Sky Devils (Dir. Niazi Mostafa, 1956)
Actors in Image: Salwa Mahmoud, Mohamed Abdel Moteleb
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref73
Platform Number 5 (Dir. Niazi Mostafa, 1956)
Actors in Image: Hoda Soltan, Zeinat Elwy
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref85
Hamido’s Son (Dir. Fateen Abdel Wahab, 1957)
Actors in Image: Ahmad Ramzy, Nelly Mazlom
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref91
Bahiya (Dir. Ramsis Naguib, 1960)
Actors in Image: Lobna Abdelaziz
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref112
The Woman Who Traps Men (Dir. Hassan Al Imam, 1960)
Actors in Image: Hoda Soltan
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref117
My Only Love (Dir. Kamal Al Sheikh, 1960)
Actors in Image: Nadia Lotfi, Omar Sharif
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref114
Wedding Night Widow (Dir. Elsayed Bedir, 1974)
Actors in Image: Nahed Sherif
Samir Farid Collection, Akkasah: Center for Photography, Ref2