Samir Farid (Photo: Al Ahram)
Renowned Egyptian writer, film critic and historian Samir Farid died Tuesday after a long struggle with illness, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.
Prayers for the late Farid will take place on Wednesday noon at Cairo's Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque before funeral proceedings.
Farid was born in Cairo in 1943.
He studied film at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts at the Academy of Arts in Cairo.
In 1965, he started working as a journalist for the state-run Egyptian publication Al-Gomhoreya where he spent 38 years before moving on to the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm in 2004.
He received many awards over the course of his career.
Last February, he garnered his last honorary award at the Berlinale Camera Award at the annual Berlin International Film Festival.
Farid was widely recognised as one of the most prominent film personalities of the Arab world.
He headed the Cairo International Film Festival more than once.
Farid also served as a jury member in many international festivals, including the Oberhausen Film Festival, the Torino Film Festival, and the Venice Film Festival. He was a president of the 36th edition of Cairo International Film Festival (2014).
His achievements and extensive contributions to the world of cinema were rewarded with the Cannes Film Festival Gold Medal in both 1997 and 2000, the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Osian’s Cinefan Festival in New Delhi in 2012 and at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2013.
He also authored and translated over 60 books on film and film history
Farid has also published a number of his critical reviews and essays on cinema in Al-Ahram Weekly.
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