User:Selma Anaan Saad Nadim/Saad Nadim

Saad Nadim “The Pioneer of Documentary Cinema”: (1920–1980) Saad Nadim by all means is an icon and the pioneer of documentary films in Egypt. Though he started his journey late in the forties, all his life was dedicated to the documentary films.

Early Years: Saad Nadim was born in February 19, 1920 after the 1919 revelation and that’s why his father named him “Saad” after the leader “Saad Zaghlol”. He spent his early childhood years in “Boulaq” and in 1927 the whole family moved to a house built by the father in “Hada’eq Al-Qouba”. He is the fourth after three girls so his birth caused great happiness in the family. He was born in Boulaq district where the family was living in an apartment next to the father’s work, an employee in the governmental printing house, the family didn’t have a huge income as traders or landowners, but it was well off. As any middle-class family the father wanted for his son the highest education and to obtain high degrees to be qualified for a governmental job. His father who became the director of “Dar El-Kotob” printing house was not the type who likes to order his family around and does not allow any opposition, but despite his prestige he believed in "negotiations" and tended to convince others even his own son and daughters with discussions and arguments. But this did not work with Saad Nadim’s determination and stubbornness. And like most Egyptian mothers, his mother used to follow the news of the demonstrations with her heart aching every day.

•	When he was twenty eight years old he met the love of his life, "Bouthaina Nahari, a painter from a well educated family. He married her and had his first son “Annan”. (The Egyptian Government sent Boutheina to represent Egypt with her paintings in Venice in 1962. At the age of seventeen, she started her education in England and she retrained when she was thirty years old and she met Saad Nadim and married him immediately). •	During his scholarship in England in 1954, he met his second wife, Sheila and had a girl named Magda and a boy named Ramy.

Education: As soon as he reached high school the trouble in the family began. He joined Al-Farouk School which was one of the revolting spots from which the demonstrations against colonialism, oppression and foreign privileges took place. Saad Nadim was dismissed from the school several times for incitement to demonstrate and eventually he finished high school and joined the Faculty of Low. He joined the Faculty of Low in 1939 but he did not complete his education at the faculty, and what really eased his pain that he understood long ago that he was not going to complete his low education because, despite of his mental capacity he didn’t pass to the second year and in spite of his vast reading he didn’t open his law books. He was fond of the emotions found in the novels and he used to get moved with the feelings in poems. He used to respond to the music and interact with the colors of the paintings; he understood those books containing ideas for changing reality. On the other hand he didn’t endure such legal texts that limit the natural human relationships and make an exhibition for all the prohibitions and penalties. While he was in collage Saad Nadim immersed himself entirely in the demonstrations. He was the tough kind who sticks by his thoughts, without hesitation he turns everything he believes in into actions and behaviors. Of course his family was disturbed, like most middle-class families that wanted to participate in the national movement with hopes and words, not with real actions. At the beginning of the Second World War his readings became diverse. Each book led to another book and each idea encouraged him to explore. He immersed himself in the cultural movement which consists of lectures, seminars and exhibitions organized by communist groups, trying to understand and accommodate the change coming from Europe on the one hand, and the changes occurring in the heart of reality on the other. After a discussion with “Salah Abu Seif”, Saad Nadim borrowed from him a book that will have the biggest impact on the formation and development of Saad Nadim’s ideas. It’s "The Documentary Film" by the English director “Paul Rotha”. For Saad Nadim this book was the gate to knowledge and the guide to other kind of cinema, which is different than the common narrative cinema. He read it several times and he probably did not need to read it more than once because it was familiar and clear to him, but he read it several times just for the sake of enjoyment. Saad Nadim was never affected by another book as this one. The second book is "Film in The Battle of Ideas" which was read by Saad Nadim at a late stage. After reading Paul’s Roth book he was convinced that the documentary film is the field that he can work in with enthusiasm for the rest of his life. Finally, in the summer of 1944 Saad Nadim and his family realized that it is pointless to continue in the Faculty of Law and that all roads lead to Studio Masr. Then he joined the Cinema Institution where his passion for Documentary films started the formation of his journey that we knew him with.

Work: •	His first job was the director of the governmental printing house. •	In the summer of 1994 he went to Studio Masr to start his first job as an Editor Assistant in the montage section, which was headed by his cousin Salah Abu Saif. He quickly absorbed work as it fits his preference and his artistic tendency as well as his personal choice. He learned that arranging shots is one of the most important stages of the film making. He also learned that even if the editor has a weak piece of work he must transfer it by cutting, deleting and adjusting the tempo to a coherent and attractive piece of art. •	He worked as an assistant for the head of the montage section, Salah Abu Seif in many feature films and perhaps he did really benefit from the experience of the film "Saif Al-Galad". After a snapshot to another it became consistent through cutting and arranging shots. The result was that most of the critics praised the montage of the film when it was screened at Cannes Film Festival in 1946. •	After less than a year of his work in the montage section, he had the opportunity to work on his first solo editing work in the film “Dunia” directed by Mohammed Karim as recognition of his abilities. •	For over a quarter of a century he will be involved in the documentary filming as a director, screenwriter, production manager, tutor and the head manger of the National Center for documentary films. He worked on nearly 70 films in almost every category of documentaries: cultural, scientific, artistic, national, news and advertising. His first scenario was "The Fishing City". Though it did not make it to the screen, its effect when it was still on papers was very good, as after “Andre Fino” read it he agreed to make a section specialized in short films which is a huge step forward for the documentary films and for Saad Nadim, who later became the head of this section.

Culture and Leisure Group: •	Saad Nadim was not just a literal director. Despite his serious interest in all the elements of documentary films, his desire for change was the force which drove him towards the cultural activities. Saad Nadim, Salah Abu Seif, Mohamed Odeh and Asaad Halim established a group and named it the "Culture & Leisure Group". They held seminars at its headquarters in an apartment in Gawad Hosni Street, were in these seminars they discussed serious issues concerning ideas, art and reality. •	His public activity increased after he was elected as the Secretary of The Cinema Syndicate. As the Syndicate had an educational role for the first time in 1947 when Saad Nadim organized classical shows for German mime cinema. •	In late 1956, after Saad Nadim’s big hit "Let the world witness" he experienced a career crisis. After some conflicts between him and his mangers, they were able to terminate him by the unfair laws that could be used against the Egyptian worker at this time!

Saad Nadim and Salah Abu Seif: Salah Abu Seif used to spend Sundays and the holidays, at his cousin’s “Saad Nadim” house. They used to have long discussions about culture, politics, literature, arts and especially cinema. Salah Abu Seif used to tell his cousin who was emotionally and mentally attached to him about those great films which he read about but did not watch. And Saad Nadim was clearly affected by him throughout his whole journey in the documentary cinema.

Saad Nadim and Salah Ezz ElDin: Salah Ezz Edin as well was a culture lover who wants to watch and absorb, so he was a great companion to Saad Nadim on his journey to knowledge in London, and they will extend this good friendship after they return to Cairo.

His Journey to London: The Egyptian Government has decided to send four young men to England to study various branches including Saad Nadim for directing. For Saad Nadim, England was the mother country of the documentary films which consists of various trends, cultural waves and psychological backgrounds. Saad Nadim was in need for this scholarship as his life partner and the artist who he used to talk to about his plans and who witnessed his dreams and shared his aspirations and whom he had his first son Annan with had passed away and left him with deep sorrow. In England Saad Nadim’s expectations were fulfilled as he found in London a great revival in the film making. In England the universities used to organize uncertified film courses where one of the industry leaders provide students with his theoretical and practical experience and Saad Nadim joined one of these courses at London University. In the lectures he met “Ahmed Al-Hadary” a young Egyptian engineering student and a big cinema fan. -The dean of the Cinema Institute and the Director of the National Center for Film Culture in the future-. Al-Hadary was a prominent member of the “Egyptian Club" which used to sponsor student affairs in England and provide students with discounted tickets to attend theatre performances and musicals, allowing Saad Nadim, Salah Ezz El-Din with the company of Ahmed Al-Hadary off course to see the world classical theatre. And when he met the father of documentary films, “John Greerson” and talked to him about his passion for studying documentary film making, he prepared for him a comprehensive course for one and a half year in the motion picture unit attached to "The transportation Authority". His social connections had grown with the documentary filmmakers in London. And when the English filmmaker “Arthur Elton” who was working in “Shell” came to Egypt in 1953 he visited the company in Cairo and talked to the workers in the cinema section about that Egyptian man who will build a big legacy in the documentary industry and whom he met in London then he asked the public relations Department of the company to benefit from his energy when he return back from England. In England Saad Nadim met his second wife, Sheila, from whom he had a boy called Rami and a girl called Magda.

Film Reviewing: After his dismissal from his job he faced the situation with courage and decided to invest his knowledge in writing film reviews despite the modest income he accepted it with enthusiasm and sincerity during 1957, 1958 and 1959. He wrote in “Al-Messa” newspaper dozens of articles which are considered the most profound and comprehensive reviews. If it was collected in a book it would become a great reference and a model for the applied film reviewing. He took attention on all kind of films the “realistic and romantic, Arabic and foreign, melodramatic and comedy, musical and historical, good, mediocre and bad”.

Saad Nadim's Work: •	Films: You can find in his films a catchy esthetic touch not only among his films but also among the Egyptian documentary films in general, since it started and till this day. •	Articles: His articles have the capacity to dismantle the artwork and then installed again. That means that his film reviewing process is based on interpretation and analysis. And it is characterized by his clear thoughts on one hand and the understanding of the aesthetics of the film making tools on the other hand. One of the ideas that were repeated on his articles is the idea of “freedom”. He was the first to use the term “Documentary Film” instead of “Short Film”. He also the first to use the term “Colonial Film” which he used to refer to the film which has impressed the audience with its good quality and use of inventions "but deliver a false and misleading idea about the American life which occupies people’s mind in the countries that are still making their way to the future." He did not only criticize those films, he also followed and refused the Egyptian films affected by them.

List of his documentary films: 1.	Did you know, 1946 2.	Fishing City 3.	Arabian Horses, 1947 4.	Modern Egypt, 1947 5.	Sugar Industry in Egypt 6.	Kafr El-Dawwar Factories 7.	Alexandria, 1950 8.	Cairo, 1955 9.	Aswan,1959 10.	To Helwan, 1959 11.	The Red Sea, 1959 12.	Kom Ombo 13.	Edfu 14.	A day in the countryside, 1949 15.	 The Industry 16.	The Update 17.	Colorful Wings, 1949 18.	 Archeological Discoveries 19.	 The Military Police, 1954 20.	 In Suez Canal Area, 1954 21.	Signing the Evacuation Agreement 22.	The Victory Parade, 1955 23.	 The 6th of October, 1974 24.	Towards a Better Nutrition, 1954 25.	The Mission of the Syrian Press, 1955 26.	تنسيق القاهرة 27.	The Story of a Book, 1959 28.	Building the Future, 1955 29.	 Let the World Witness 30.	Evacuation Celebrations, 1956 31.	Petroleum in Egypt 32.	 Museum of Civilization Series •	Amada & Ibrim •	Kalabsha & Beit Al Wadi •	Abu Simbel •	Saving Philae Temple 33.	Railroad Museum 34.	The Art of Our Country Series 35.	 The Nubians 36.	A Story from the Nuba, 1963 37.	A trip to the Nuba Series, 1961 •	Philae •	Kalbsha and Beit Al Wali •	From Dandar to El-Subo3 •	From Amada to Ibrim •	Abu Simbel •	Heritage of the Humanity •	Life of the Residents, 38.	The Artist Ragheb Ayad, 1965 39.	Contemporary Egyptian Art, 1969 40.	The Egyptian Sculptor Anwar Abdel Mawla, 1970 41.	Full-time in photography and sculpture 42.	The Egyptian In 50 years – 1975 43.	10th of October and Culture – 1975 44.	Bhzaan in The Garden, 1976 45.	Shame on America 46.	We Are Not Alone 47.	Eye Witness 48.	Aggression towards The Arab Nation, 1968 49.	Peace Not Surrender, 1957 50.	The Road to Peace, 1966 51.	Defending Peace, 1972 52.	My Beautiful Country, 1971 53.	The Suez Canal, 1979 54.	Decoding Philae Temple, 1975 55.	Between Philae Island and Aiglka, 1977 56.	From Philae to Aiglka, 1979 57.	Diseases Spreaders, 1948 58.	Al-Mowasah Hospital, 1949 59.	Fayoum Water, 1972 60.	Fayoum Excavations 61.	Suez Canal Convention, 1955 62.	Culture in the Way to Evolution, 1960 63.	El-Mawled, 1965 64.	Youth Festival, 1974

Film Review Articles: 1.	The Empty Pillow - Salah Abu Seif 2.	Give Me My Heart Back "A lot about love and a little about the people" 3.	A woman on The Road 4.	I am Free 5.	Should I Kill My Husband - Hossam El-Din Moustafa 6.	Seduction – Hassan El-Imam

Awards: 1.	Film Review Award, 1960 2.	Scenario and directing awards from the Ministry of Culture, 1964 3.	Certificate of appreciation from the Leipzig Festival for "A story from Nuba"

Sources: •	Saad Nadim "The Documentary Films Pioneer – Kamal Ramzy •	The Biography of the Documentary Films Pioneering "Saad Nadim" – Mahmoud Sami Atallah