Prominent film critic Ali Abu Shadi died on Friday night at the age of 72 after a fruitful career of journalism, criticism, culture management, and public work.
Abu Shadi was born 1946 and received a bachelor’s degree in literature from Ain Shams University in 1966. He also received a master’s degree from the Higher Institute of Art Criticism in 1975.
He has been a member of the Egyptian Film Critics Association since 1972 and headed the governmental authority for censorship between 1996 and 1999 and 2004 to 2009. He was a strong representative of Egypt and Arab critics in the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
The respected critic was going to be honoured for his achievements at the Ismailia International Film Festival in its coming edition this year. His bibliography includes more than 20 books in different fields, including criticism and theory. Among his books are Black and White, The Language of Cinema, 100 Years of Egyptian Cinema, Cinema and Politics, Documentary Cinema in the 1970s, and Classics of Egyptian Cinema. He also held important posts as Secretary General at the Supreme Council of Culture in 2007.
