Google Doodle pays tribute to pioneer Egyptian filmmaker Bahiga Hafez

CAIRO – 4 August 2020: In the 1920s Egyptian cinema was founded by pioneering Egyptian women who had a strong desire to build a purely Egyptian cinema industry such as Aziza Amir, Fatma Roushdy and the veteran Bahiga Hafez.

Google Doodle pays tribute to pioneer Egyptian filmmaker Bahiga Hafez to celebrate what would have been her 112 birthday.

Google dedicated its Tuesday, doodle to the pioneering filmmaker.

Hafez’s portrait which appears on the doodle was taken by Egyptian illustrator Mariam El Reweny, to honor the acclaimed Egyptian filmmaker long and rich cinematic career.

The doodle appears to Google users in the Gulf Cooperation Council , Lebanon, Iraq and North Africa.

"Her work helped pave the way for the start of what is widely considered Egyptian cinema’s golden age in the 1940s, and she is depicted in the doodle artwork wearing a costume inspired by the many opulent wardrobes she designed from this era of film," Google says about Hafez in a statement.

The veteran actress, producer and writer was born on August 4, 1908 in Alexandria, to a respectable aristocratic family.

Hafez was an intellectual lady with every sense of the word she used to master English, French and Italian, as she was was educated in language schools and was influenced by the cosmopolitan spirit of Alexandria in this period.

Hafez was a multi-talented and multi-task filmmaker as she was a screenwriter, composer, director, editor and producer.

In 1930, the Egyptian pioneer received a degree in music composition in Paris.

Also in the same year she released her first album, and debuted her cinematic career as she played the leading role in the Egyptian silent movie ‘’Zeinab’’ directed by pioneer Egyptian director Mohamed Karim  

In 1935 ‘’ Zeinab’’  was released  again with script added as a talkie.In ‘’ Zeinab’’ movie Hafez portrayed a woman whose family was against her love.

‘’ Zeinab’’ soundtrack,was composed by Hafez as well and the movie was cinematic adaptation of Mohamed Hussein Heikal’s novel by the same title

In 1932, Hafez and her husband Mahmoud Hamdi  founded a production company, entitled Fanar Film Company. In 1932 the company produced the silent Egyptian film ‘’Al-Dahaya’’ (The Victims).

In ‘’Al-Dahaya’’  Hafez played the lead role and was the co-director, producer, editor, costume designer and the composer of the movie.

In 1944 Layla al-Badawiyya (Laila the Bedouin) movie was released marking the first solo directorial work for Hafez.

and she went on to produce a number of films under the banner of Fanar.

In 1966, Hafez appeared in the famous movie ‘’ El Kahera 30’’ (Cairo 30), making a cameo as a princess, the movie was directed by the late great director Salaḥ Abu Seif.

Hafez died in Cairo in December 1983 at the age of 75.