Mohsen Mohiedine Movies

Set in an Egyptian village in 1947, this drama reveals the strength of Saddika (Dalida Moshen), a 40-year-old grandmother determined to survive the cholera epidemic that is sweeping the country. Saddika works as a laundress for a famous actress and takes care of her invalid husband and grandson Hassan. Okka (Moheidine Chouikar) is a happy-go-lucky organ grinder who hopes that his singing and dancing abilities will lead to stardom one day. Instead, his behavior gets him a beating by ultra-nationalists and he ends up under Saddika's care, thanks to her grandson Hassan. From that point onward, Okka begins to take an interest in the attractive grandmother which only increases after her husband commits suicide by burning down their house. Homeless and needing to flee the cholera epidemic, Hassan, Saddika, and Okka take off together. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Youssef Chahine directed this drama about lovers struggling to find happiness in Egypt during the chaos of World War II. Yehia (Mohsen Mohiedine) is a teenage boy who is fascinated with the glamour of Hollywood movies, and he escapes into a rich fantasy world to free himself from the horror around him. But as he learns more about the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Europe, it becomes harder for him to ignore life's grim realities, especially after he falls in love with a local girl. Meanwhile, a Jewish woman living nearby becomes involved with a man who is Muslim, and a gay soldier from England has an affair with a wealthy Arab. Iskanderija ... Lih? was followed by two sequels, Hadota Misreya and Iskindiriah Kaman Oue Kaman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi