2023-10-23 17:41:03
The great Egyptian artist Salah El-Saadani turns eighty today, Monday, and many critics recall his impact on Egyptian artistic life, due to the more than one hundred works he presented, including plays, films, and television series. However, there are questions circulating in artistic circles: Was Salah Al-Saadani wronged by not being honored at the Cairo International Film Festival? Or was the spotlight focused on him as the hero of television dramas, for which he was honored more than once?
Art critic Dr. Osama Abu Talib believes that Salah Al-Saadani is a special kind of artist, and deserves all the honor. He explained in his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that the true honor that Al-Saadani received lies in the true love that his fans in every Arab country have for him.
Salah Al-Saadani was born in Menoufia Governorate (Delta Egypt) on October 23, 1943. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and participated in his first television work in 1960, entitled “The Departure.”
Art critic Kamal Al-Qadi considered that honoring Salah Al-Saadani, whether at the Cairo Film Festival or in any other forum, is a “deserved celebration,” and pointed to the great credit that this artist has with his fans, starting with his participation in the film “The Earth.” Passing through many other works; Such as the series “Layali Al-Helmeya”.
Al-Qadi added to Asharq Al-Awsat, “He deserves every honor, or more precisely, festivals are honored to honor him, as he is a real and important addition and a positive impact on Egyptian and Arab festivals.”
The artist Salah Al-Saadani presented five plays, including “The King is the King,” and more than 30 series, the most famous of which are “Layali Al-Helmeya,” “Arabesque,” and “Janoubi’s Dream.” He was honored at the Cairo Drama Festival in 2022, and was also honored at the Cairo Drama Festival. “Energy Drama” 2023, and won the “Artistic Excellence” Award from the “Alexandria Film Festival.”
The artist Ahmed Salah Al-Saadani had hinted, through a blog post he wrote on the “X” website in 2018, that honoring his father in official Egyptian festivals would be ignored.
Ahmed Salah Al-Saadani with his father (Ahmed’s Facebook account)
This prompted a large number of followers and critics to demand that he be honored at the Cairo Film Festival, and these demands sparked division among followers. While a group believed that he deserved to be honored at the most important Egyptian film festival, others said that his most prominent career was in television drama and not in cinema.
Al-Qadi stressed that Al-Saadani “is truly honored in the hearts of all his fans, and appreciated by his fans from the ocean to the Gulf,” and explained that “Egyptian cinema has not succeeded in exploiting Salah Al-Saadani’s talent as a first-class star, and this is an injustice that has actually befallen him throughout his artistic career and has not been fulfilled.” “Unfortunately, he corrected it.”
Art critic Saber Al-Asili agrees with Al-Qadi on “the great value represented by the artist Salah Al-Saadani,” and believes that he “did not receive the honor he deserved,” and adds to Asharq Al-Awsat that “festivals are held and closed without paying attention to his artistic role and his distinction among his generation.” And his mark that will not be repeated.”
Al-Saadani in one of his film roles (archive)
Dr. Osama Abu Talib recalls an event he witnessed, when Al-Saadani was honored at one of the Arab festivals in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 2003: “I found great celebration for him there, as the audience lined up on both sides waiting for him, chanting the names of the characters he embodied, pointing out that he is a fan of art.” Sincere people who truly and deservedly deserve honor.”
It is noteworthy that Salah Al-Saadani presented distinguished films, including “Fawzia Bourgeoisie,” “A Song on the Passage,” “The Bullet is Still in My Pocket,” “The Earth,” “The Ghoul,” and “The Time of Hatem Zahran.”
Al-Osaily said that Cairo Film Festival’s ignoring of him may have been unintentional, but might be remedied in the coming sessions.
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