Khaled El Hagar, born in Suez, Egypt in 1963, studied Law at Cairo University. After working as an Assistant Director for acclaimed filmmaker Youssef Chahine, he studied scriptwriting and film directing at The National Film and TV School, in Beaconsfield, UK. His first feature ‘Ahlam Saghira’ (Little Dreams) was made for the German Broadcaster ZDF and Youssef Chahine’s company Misr International Films. Next, El-Hagar shot in the UK for StudioCanal, and ‘Room to Rent’. ‘Room to Rent’ received 8 International awards and was released across Europe, Canada and The United States. Other features include, ‘Hob El Banat’ (Women’s Love), ‘Kobolat Msroka’ (Stolen Kisses) and ‘Ma Fich Gheir Kida’ (None but that), the first Egyptian musical since the 1940’s. Then he directed ‘El Shooq’ (Lust) which is in competition at DTFF 2011, and recently a 30-pisode TV series called ‘Dawaran Shoubra’ (Shoubra Square) produced by Misr International Film,,Gaby Khoury, and BBC WST.

DFI: You have received a postproduction grant from DFI for your feature ‘El Shooq’ (Lust) that also won the Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film at Cairo’s International Film Festival, and best female actress for Sawsan Badr. It was the only Egyptian film in competition, and marked the first time Egypt won this award in 14 years. It’s quite a comeback; the film is also in competition at the 3rd edition of DTFF. We are eager to know what ‘El Shooq’ is about, and what inspired you to make this film?
Khaled: ‘El Shooq’ brings us into the lives of the inhabitants of a marginalised street in Alexandria, the second largest city of Egypt. Familiar, moving and funny, each character is isolated in their fierce, yet fragile dreams. The central character is Umm Shooq (mother of Shooq), a woman whose sense of shame and inadequacy drives her to gain leverage over the little world in which she lives. Her personal story feeds the unfulfilled longings and repressed desires of her family and neighbors, while driving the oppression that grips them all. ‘El Shooq’ shows very clearly how the poor people of Egypt lived before the revolution, and many critics mentioned that the film almost predicted the revolution. The film was number one at the Egyptian box office two weeks before the revolution started.

What pushed me into making this this film was the need to show how Egypt has become after years of corruption, a place where the less fortunate are struggling to cope with poverty and where people abusing their powers will eventually suffer from it.

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DFI: You studied law in the beginning of your career and then moved to film. What made you shift in this direction?
Khaled: Since I was 19, I always wanted to be a director. I tried to go to film schools in Cairo and couldn’t. I was lucky enough to get the chance of working in Youssef Chahine’s office when I was 21, and from there I learned everything. I was also his assistant in three films, and then I directed a short film called ‘You Are My Life’ which helped me enroll in The National Film and Television school in England from 1991 to 1994.

DFI: You moved to the UK and worked on your film ‘Room to Rent’ with international figures like Juliette Lewis and French actor Said Taghmaoui. What’s the film about, and how do you describe this multicultural experience of making films in both Egypt and Europe? And where do you see yourself fit the most?
Khaled: It was great to work in a big film with those actors, and I was the first Egyptian to make a film in the UK. The film got the chance to be screened in movie theaters and televisions all around the world. There is no difference of working in the UK or Egypt; I can work just anywhere. But in Egypt you work harder and for much longer hours.

DFI: What are the challenges you face as a filmmaker?
Khaled: Mainly waiting to get the right scripts and producers. The rest is trivial.

DFI: What stories attract you the most and why?
Khaled: I directed a variety of film styles: war drama, comedy, family features, musical and dark drama. I like to experiment with different genres and see what suits me best.

DFI: What are you looking to achieve this year at DTFF?
Khaled: I hope people will like my film and I am eager to meet more people for potential future projects.

DFI: Any future films in pre-production?
Khaled: Yes a feature film and TV drama are in development. Will let you know about it in time!

DFI: What film/filmmaker influence you the most and why?
Khaled: Many, from the old Egyptian films of Yousef Chahine, to Shady Abdel Salam and most of the classic Italian films and French directors.

DFI: What is your message to emerging filmmakers?
Khaled: Just do it, do not just dream about cinema. Making films is a lot of hard work but if you believe in yourself, people will believe in you…