7 Egyptian films portraying 1973 war

Cairo – 6 October 2017: October 6 marks the 44th anniversary of the victory in the 1973 war that occurred against Israel, where the Egyptian army managed to recapture Egyptian occupied territories and restore national pride.

Egyptian cinema has tried to document that historic victory, adding to other documentaries. In this article, we will shed light some specific movies that the Egyptian audience is used to watching on TV every anniversary.

“The Bullet is Still in My Pocket”

“Al Rosasa La Tazal Fe Gaiby” (The Bullet is Still in My Pocket) was produced in 1974, based on a story by Egyptian author Ihsan Abd al-Qudus, directed by Hossam Eldin Mostafa, and staring Mahmoud Yassin, Nagwa Ebrahim and Hussein Fahmy.


Poster of movie (The bullet still in my pocket)

The movie is about a soldier named Mohamed who finds himself in Gaza after the defeat in the 1967 War. He returns to his village filled with sorrow over the death of his colleagues in the war. The girl he loves, Fatma, has been raped by a high profile man in the village, so Mohammad decides to take revenge by killing him. But the 1973 War breaks out and he joins the army to free the occupied lands from Israel. Mohamed goes back to the village with his bride, and the rapist was ashamed by the villagers. Finally, Mohammad marries Fatma with the bullet still in his pocket.

The Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy said during an interview on the “Maakom Mona Al Shazly” program in May 2016 that it’s the only movie that was captured on the real Bar Lev line at Suez Canal, and this location doesn’t exist anymore, as the New Suez Canal was built there.

“The Great Loyalty”


Al wafa Al Azeem Poster

“Al Wafaa El Azeem” (The Great Loyalty) was produced in 1974 and tells the love story of Walaa and Hussein. Walaa’s father refuses their relationship and decides to marry her to a family friend named Adel. During the war, Adel becomes a soldier with Hussein and learns how much he loves Walaa, so he decides to help them.
“Al Wafaa El Azeem” is directed by Helmy Rafla, scenario by Faisal Nada, and stars Naglaa Fathy, Mahmoud Yassin and Kamal El Shenawy.

“The Sons of Silence”


printscreen from Abnaa el samt movie

“Abnaa el Samt” was produced in 1974, written by Maged Tobya, directed by Mohamed Rady, and stars Mahmoud Morsy, Mervat Amen and Nour el-Sherif. The film includes the period from the war of attrition till the victory the war of 1973.

“Life is a Moment”


El Omr Lahza Poster

“El Omr Lahza” (Life is a Moment) tells the story of a female journalist whose husband is the editor-in-chief of the newspaper she works at, but they have two different views concerning the war after the defeat in 1967. So she decided to volunteer at a hospital, where she gets to know some soldiers who were injured and listen to their stories. Then she travels to the location of the battle to visit the soldiers.
The film is also directed by Mohamed Rady and stars Magda, Ahmed Mazhar and Ahmed Zaki.

The next three movies are considered new movies, and Egyptian channels are not used to broadcasting them on the anniversaries of the 6th of October victory.

“The Lion of Sinai”


The lion of Sinai poster


The 1973 war has many stories of sacrifice, courage and pure love for the nation. “Assad Sinaa” (The Lion of Sinai) is about Said Zakaria Khalil, a paratrooper in the Egyptian armed forces. He managed alone to destroy an Israeli battalion after the martyrdom of all the members of his platoon. It is considered the most recent cinema movie about the war, produced in 2016.
The scenario is by Adel Abdl Aal, directed by Hussein al-Sayed, and stars Amr Ramzy, Noha Ismaiul and Hanan Youssef.

“The Wall of Championships”
“Haaet al Botolat” (The Wall of Championships) was produced in 1997 and broadcasted for the first time on Egyptian TV in 2016. Its firs premier was in the Cairo International Film festival in 2014, according to El Tahrir news.
The movie includes the period from the war of attrition till the 6th of October War in 1973. The actors of the movie are Farouk el-Feshawy, Mahmoud Yassin and Raghda.


“Battalion 418”
Another story of courage and loyalty of Egyptian soldiers during the war, “Katiba 814” (Battalion 418) sheds light on the role of Battalion 418 of the Egyptian armed forces, which managed to target the Israeli air forces even after all the shells it had were destroyed. Real military equipment belonging to the Egyptian armed forces in the 1973 war was used in this movie, which was directed by Waleed Sary and produced in 2015.