| Mohammed Fadel | |
| Nationality: | Egyptian |
| Occupation: | television and film director |
Mohammed Fadel (name also spelled Muhammad Fadil) is a veteran Egyptian television and film director. Fadel, along with Osama Anwar Okasha and Inaam Mohamed Ali, is credited in Egypt for establishing the genre of Egyptian dramatic serial television.[1] He is considered a "godfather" of Egyptian television serials.[2]
Fadel began his career in the 1950s in radio.[3] He wrote a number of television series in the 1960s and 1970s, the most notable of which was the comedic soap opera Al-Qahira wa-l-nas ("Cairo and the People"), which was themed on modernity and cultural authenticity. Divided into half-hour segments, the show was similar to American sitcom television, making it unique in Egyptian media during its time.[4] Afterwards, he directed a psychological film Etnen Wahed Sifr ("2-1-0") (1974) starring Salah Zulfikar, it was a breakthrough, followed by the Ramadan soap operas Abna'i Al-A'izza', Shukran ("Dear Children, Thank You") in the late 1970s, Rihlat El-Sayyid Abul-Ela El-Bishri ("The Journey of Mr Abul-Ela El-Bishri") in the 1980s, Li Dawa'i Amniya ("For Security Measures") in 2005,[5] and Sekket el-Hilali ("El-Hilali's Path") in 2006.[6]
His reputation was significantly raised with his television series "White Flag" (1989), written by Okasha. The show was set in Alexandria and dealt with Egypt's wide income disparity, criminals-turned-wealthy, and Egyptian high life.[7] Fadel directed the 1982 romance film Hobb fil Zinzana ("Love in the Prison Cell") starring Soad Hosny,[8] the first film on Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in Nasser 56 (1996) starring Ahmed Zaki,[9] and Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum in the 1999 film Kawkab al-Sharq ("Star of the Orient").[10] The latter starred Fadel's wife, veteran actress Ferdous Abdel-Hamid.[11]