Samir Farid
Samir Farid (, ) (December 1, 1943 – April 4, 2017) was an Egyptian writer and a world renowned film critic, journalist and film historian based in Cairo. He authored and/or translated over 60 books since 1966 on Egyptian, Arab and World cinema. He was the consultant for Cinema affairs in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. (2001-2016). He was a member of jury in International film festivals since 1972. (Among them Oberhausen Film Festival 1978, DOC Leipzig Film festival 1984, Annecy International Animated Film Festival 1998, Torino Film Festival 2001, Controcorrente (Upstream section) of Venice Film Festival 2003, Thessaloniki Film Festival 2003  and Taormina Film Festival 2010.) He also was the Head of The Cairo International Film Festival 2014. Curriculum vitae. Samir Farid was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1943. He graduated in 1965 from the High Institute of Dramatic Arts, department of Criticism, Academy of Arts. His graduation thesis was entitled "The Meaning of Silence in "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett". He also worked as the film Critic of "Al-Gomhoreya" daily in Cairo since 1965. Since 1967, he has been invited to more than 200 film festivals and seminars in Africa, Asia, USA and Europe. He was a member  of the Board in the Egyptian magazines "Al-Cinema" (1969) and "Al-Talliaa (Arabic: الطليعة )" in 1973, the Algerian magazine "Al-Shshtan" (1979) and the Cypriot magazine "Al-Ofok" (1987). He was a co-Founder of the National Festival of Short and Documentary films (1970), the National Festival of Feature Films (1971), the Arab Film Critics Union and the Egyptian Film Critics Association, (1972). Member of FIPRESCI since 1971. Member of International Jury Boards since 1972. The editor-in-chef of the Egyptian weekly journal "El-Cinema Wa El-Finoun", 1977. Member of the International Initiating Committee of the General  History of Cinema 1982. The representative of "Variety" in Cairo 1981- 1985. Member of the Consultative Board of the Minister of Culture, 1989. The Cinema Supervisor at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2001.