Khaled El Hagar

Who is Khaled El Hagar?

Multi award winning Egyptian film director, Khaled El Hagar is one of Egypt's most controversial movie makers.

He studied law at Cairo University and has worked in film since 1985. His first short film, You Are My Life, won best film award at the Oberhausen festival. He then completed a postgraduate degree at the National Film and Television School, and directed his second short film, "Doody's Dream". His first feature, "Little Dreams", was screened at 37 festivals and won awards at Birmingham, Amiens, and FESPACO in Burkina Faso.

He moved to Birmingham, UK, in the 1990s, and has become well known on the film scene in the city, screening new films and collecting awards in the Birmingham International Film Festival. Recent years have seen a growing acceptance in Cairo, where he has been filming regularly, producing multi-award winning movies, and becoming established as an important Director in the Arabic world.

ROOM TO RENT, starring Juliette Lewis and French actor Said Taghmaoui, first brought Khaled's talents to the attention of the international film world.

The depth and the range of his films resonates powerfully with audiences, embracing multiple cultures and genres, and including comedy, dance, musicals and contemporary dramas.