Tarek El-Telmissany (April 22, 1950 is one of the most famous cinematographer

Cinematographer

A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...

s in Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

 and Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. Worked as a Director of Photography for documentary films since 1980. A Director of Photography at the National Cinema Center since 1983.

Tarek El-Telmissany has a unique style in lighting which he learned from his professors in "VGIK" The Gerasimov All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography in Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

He is also credited as Tariq El Telmesani, Tarek Al Telmissany.

Early life

El-Telmissany was born in Cairo, in a very artistic family.

His uncle was Kamel El-Telmissany was a leading artist. Together with Ramses Younan, Adam Henein, Fouad Kamel and others he was a founder of Art

Art

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

 and Liberty

Liberty

Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...

 in the 1940s. Kamel then ventured into narrative cinema, initially to further propagate the group's brand of surrealism. He soon moved into realist mode, directing the landmark Al-Souq Al-Souda (Black Market) which was banned for almost four years.

His father Hassan, followed Kamel into film, becoming a cinematographer employed by Shell Oil

Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...

's filmmaking department which produced films about all aspects of Egyptian life – cultural, economic and social. Shell had sent Hassan to train in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and later, when the department shut down, he became an independent documentary filmmaker, producing some 20 films with El-Telmissany's uncle Abdel-Qader. Together they formed a company named El-Telmissany Ekhan for producing many important documentary films.

It was El-Telmissani's mother, a housewife

Housewife

Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...

, who first opened his eyes to the world of cinema and filmmaking. She accompanied him to Metro movie theatre

Theatre

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...

 to watch children's films and when he was nine brought him to studio Nasbian in Al- Dhaher -- "now it has become a pickle store" -- where his uncle (Kamel) was shooting his last film, Al-Nas Eli Taht (People at the Bottom), with Youssef Wahbi and Mary Munib

Education

After graduating from Faculty of Languages (Al Alsun) in 1973 El-Telmissany received a scholarship to study Russian culture and language in the Soviet Union. At the time he had also been accepted by the National Film School in London. He was told by his father: "If you want to learn the art go to Moscow, if you want to be a professional camera operator go to London. And then you can always continue your training with me."
He got Licentiate in Russian language from Faculty of Alsun 1973.
Master Degree in Cinema Photography - VGIK Moscow (1981). (Excellent grades)

Family

El-Telmissany was married in 1979 to a Russian girl named Galina Noskova during his study in Russia. He has 2 children; both Abeer (daughter) and Taymoor (son) are engineers.
He is the grandfather of 2 children, (Youssef and Adam).

Career life

He started as a Director of Photography for featured films in 1983, in film Kharaga Wa lam Ya'od-خرج و لم يعد (1983) for director Mouhamed Khan. He made over 50-featured films. The last released film was Aas We Laze' – قص و لزق (2006) for director Hala Khalil. He managed directing and photography for more than 40 documentary films and 100 commercials.
He directed 1 film named Dahk Wa Le'ab Wa Gad Wa Hob in 1993.

He has a unique style in lighting which he gained from his professors in Russia. "You're not capturing an image, you're writing it. Touch the celluloid as if you're caressing the woman you most desire. Look through the lens as if it is the last time you see her body; light it as if it is the only way you can embrace her." That's what they told Tarek El-Telmissany in film school, he says.

Because of his European look, he recently featured as an actor in some TV series and some films.

He is one of the pioneers to shoot digital films in Egypt.

Awards

He received many awards for best D.O.P inside and outside of Egypt, from festivals like Cairo International Film Festival

Cairo International Film Festival

The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...

, M-NET festival in South Africa, Mediterranean Countries Festival and many other festivals in Morocco, Algeria, France and others.

Frequent collaborators

• Mohamed Khan
  Mohamed Khan
  Mohamed Hamed Hassan Khan is an Egyptian-Pakistani film director, screenwriter and actor.-Biography:Born on October 26, 1942 to an Egyptian mother and a Pakistani father, He completed his high school in Egypt, then traveled to England where studied at the London School of Film Technique Mohamed...
  
  
• Khairy Beshara
  Khairy Beshara
  Khairy Beshara is an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since the 1970s. He is considered one of the Egyptian directors who re-defined Realism in Egyptian cinema in the 1980s. In a recent book published by Bibliotheca Alexandrina in 2007 about the most important 100 films...
  
  
• Osama Fauzy
• Radwan El-Kashef
• Salah Abu Seif
  Salah Abu Seif
  Salah Abu Seif was one of the most famous Egyptian film directors. He is considered to be the godfather of the realistic cinema in Egypt...
  
  
• Faten Hamama
  Faten Hamama
  Faten Hamama is an Egyptian producer and an acclaimed actress of film, television, and theatre. She was regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from melodramas to historical films and occasional comedies, though her chief successes were romantic dramas...
  
  

Notable Films

• Al Tawk Wa Al Eswera (1985)
• Yawm Mor Wa Yawm Helw (1988)
• Ayam El Ro'ab (1988)
• Al Bahth A'n Said Marzok (1989)
• Al Mwaten Masry (1990)
• Al Raii Wal Nissaa(1991)
• Afarit El Asfalt (1995)
• Arak El Balah (1996)
• Ganet Al Shayateen (1998)
• Ayam El-Sadat
  Ayam El-Sadat
  Ayyam El Sadat is a 2001 Egyptian biographical film about the late President of Egypt, Anwar Al Sadat. The movie starred several prominent actors, with the late actor Ahmad Zaki as the Egyptian president. It is considered to be one of Zaki's greatest performances, capturing intimate details about...
  
   (2000)
• Aas We Laze' (2006)

Complete Filmography

• Kharaga Wa Lam Ya'od (1984)

Directed by Mohamed Khan

• Meshwar Omar(1984)

Directed by: Mouhamed Khan

• Youssef We Zenab (1985)

Directed by: Mouhamed Khan

• Al Awbash (1985)

Directed by: Ahmed Fouad

• Al Tawk Wa Al Eswera (1985)

Directed by: Khairy Bishara

• Al Hedek Yefham (1985)

Directed by: Ahmed Fouad

• Ana Wenty Wa Sa'at Alsafar (1985)

Directed by: Mohamed Nabih

• Alaqzam Kademon (1986)

Directed by: Sherif Arafa

• Seket Safar (1986)

Directed by: Beshir El Dik

• Youssef we Zeinab (1986)

Directed by: Mouhamed Khan

• Zaman Hatem Zahran (1986)

Directed by: Mohamed Al Nagar

• Ashmawi (1987)

Directed by: Alaa Mahgoub

• Babel Habebti (1987)

Directed by: Feisal Al Yasri

• Nahr Al Khawf (1988)

Directed by: Mohamed Abu Seif

• Yawm Mor Wa Yawm Helw (1988)

Directed by: Khairy Bishara

• Ayam El Ro'ab (1988)

Directed by: Said Marzouk

• Kabous (1988)

Directed by: Mouhamed Shebl

• Al Hob Wa Alro'ab (1989)

Directed by: Karim Diaa El Din

• Al Bahth A'n Said Marzok (1989)

Directed by: Dawood Abd El Sayed

• Eshtebah (1989)

Directed by: Alaa Karim

• Al Mwaten Masry (1990)

Directed by: Salah Abou Seif

• Al Raii Wal Nissaa(1991)

Directed by: Ali Badrakhan

• Al Feraa 12 (1991)

Directed by: Abd El Latif Zaki

• Al Sarkha (1991)

Directed by: Mohamed Elnagar

• Saydat Al Qahera (1991)

Directed by: Moumen Smihi

• Emraa Ayla lelsokot (1992)

Directed by: Medhat El Sebaii

• Ice Cream Fe Gelim (1992)

Directed by: Khairy Bishara

• Al Basha (1992)

Directed by: Tarek Al Eryan

• Amrica Shika Bika (1992)

Directed by: Khairy Bishara

• Dahk Wa La'b Wa Gad Wa Hob (1993)

Directed by: Tarek El Telmissany

• Esharet Moror (1994)

Directed by: Khairy Bishara

• Sarek El Farah (1994)

Directed by: Dawood Abd El Sayed

• Al-Qahira Minawara bi Ahlaha (1994)

Directed by: Youssef Chahine

• Qadeyet Amn Dawla (1995)

Directed by: Karim Gamal El Din

• Afarit El Asfalt (1995)

Directed by: Osama Fawzy

• Arak El Balah (1996)

Directed by: Radwan Al Kashef

• Al Batal (1997)

Directed by: Magdy Ahmed Ali

• Ganet Al Shayateen (1998)

Directed by: Osama Fawzy

• Al Warda Al Hamraa' (1999)

Directed by: Inas El Degheidy

• Ayam El-Sadat
  Ayam El-Sadat
  Ayyam El Sadat is a 2001 Egyptian biographical film about the late President of Egypt, Anwar Al Sadat. The movie starred several prominent actors, with the late actor Ahmad Zaki as the Egyptian president. It is considered to be one of Zaki's greatest performances, capturing intimate details about...
  
   (2000)

Directed by: Mouhamed Khan

• RASHA GARI’AA (2001)

Directed by: Said Hamed

• Baheb El Cima (2001)

Directed by: Osama Fawzy

• Leila Ala Al Qamar (2002)

Directed by: Khairy Bishara

• Klifty (2003)

Directed by: Mohamed Khan

• Aly Spicy (2005)

Directed by: Mohamed El Nagar

• Harb Italia (2005)

Directed by: Ahmed Saleh

• Aas We Laze' (2006)

Directed by: Hala Khalil
As an actor:

• Emraa Ayla lelsokot (1992)
• Qadeyet Amn Dawla (1995)
• Leila Ala Al Qamar (2002)
• Elselem wel taaban (2002)
• Masaa'let Mabdaa' (2003)
• Mahmoud El Masry (2004)
• Leqaa' Al Hawa (2004)
• Bent Men Shoubra (2004)
• Awaat Faragh (2006)
• Ustoghomaya (2006)

External links

• http://www.larevuedegypte.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4523
• http://www.arteeast.org/cinemaeast/filmfest_05/cinemaeast-opening-night.pdf
• http://www.ambafrance-eg.org/cfcc/article.php3?id_article=777
• http://www.festivalarabe.com/fma/content.jsp?sid=1610400763652079201103450187
• http://www.arabtoronto.com/starofthemonth/laura
• http://www.artechock.de/film/dff11/f/goette.htm