Ali Badrakhan – al-Gou’ AKA The Hunger (1986)

adminMarch 23, 2019

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A cinematic masterpiece produced by the revolutionary 1960s generation inspired by the folk hero myths of Nobel Prize Laureate Naguib Mahfouz. Based on his 1977 novel about the Egyptian ‘urban rabble,’ The Harafish, the film portrays the rise of a people’s hero and his rapid corruption through power. Although set in the late 19th century, ‘The Hunger’ can also be read as a commentary on present day social and political realities.

Directed by the uncompromising Ali Badrakhan, ‘The Hunger’ stars the great Soad Hosny in the role of a rich woman in a popular district of Cairo, along with Egyptian film mainstays Youssra and Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, supported by Abdel Aziz Makhyoun, as well as a haunting musical score by Georges Kazazian. ‘The Hunger’ was placed at number 76 on the Top 100 list of the all time greatest Egyptian films by the noted film critic Samir Farid.