Ezz El-Dine Zulficar

Ezz El-Dine Ahmed Mourad Zulficar (Arabic: عز الدين ذو الفقار, romanized: ‘Ezz ed-Dīn Zū l-Fiqār; 28 October 1919 – 1 July 1963) was an Egyptian film director, screenwriter, actor and producer known for his distinctive style, which blends romance and action. He is widely regarded one of the most influential filmmakers in the golden age of Egyptian Cinema. In a career spanning sixteen years, he directed over 30 feature films, many of which are still widely watched and studied today .

Born to the noble Zulfikar family, he initially graduated from the Egyptian Military College. He worked as a military officer in the Egyptian Armed Forces for eight years. After resigning from the military in 1947, he started his career as a filmmaker, Zulficar worked as an assistant director to director Mohamed Abdel Gawad in the films The World is Fine (1946), It Returned to its Rules (1946), Flowers and Thorns (1947). His directorial debut was Prisoner of the Shadows (1947). Zulficar's first successful film, Abu Zayd al-Hilali (1947), helped to shape the epic genre, and Khulood (1948) was a romantic hit. His crime film I'm The Past (1951) was a critical and financial success. By the early 1950s, Zulficar had local and regional recognition. A string of successful films followed, including Appointment with Life (1953), Date With Happiness (1955), I'm Going (1955), Dearer Than My Eyes (1955) shaped his own character and style as a filmmaker.

In 1957, Zulficar made three films with political backgrounds, the first was Port-Said (1957) on the 1956 War, Return My Heart (1957) and The Road of Hope (1958) both were inspired by the 1952 Revolution. All of which are classics in the memory of the audience. Zulficar's other notable films include A Woman on the Road (1958), The Street of Love (1958), Among the Ruins (1959), The Second Man (1959), The River of Love (1960), The Black Candles (1962) and A Date at the Tower (1962), all of which were also financially successful and are highly regarded by film historians. He is a recipient of multiple film awards as a director and producer. Most notably the Order of the Republic in 1963 and the Order of Sciences and Arts, which was received posthumously in 2014.