Veteran Egyptian director Salem dies

Noble-winner Naguib Mahfouz worked with Salem

Respected Egyptian film director Atef Salem has died in Cairo at the age of 74.

Salem directed 54 movies during his long career, starting in 1953 with Deprivation.

He suffered a stroke in 1999 which confined him to a wheelchair and it was another stroke which finally killed him on Tuesday.

Fellow director Ali Badrakhan broke the news, saying the funeral is due to take place on Wednesday.

One of Salem's most famous films was the hard-hitting They Made Me a Criminal, which tackled the taboo subject of temporary marriages in Egypt, which can be ended by destroying the marriage document.

These have often been linked to the prostitution trade.

Family life

Salem also worked with Egypt's only Nobel Prize-winning author, Naguib Mahfouz, on several films.

Mahfouz, the only Arabic writing Noble-winner, collaborated on We are the Students and Khan Al Khalili with Mr Salem.

The last movie Salem completed was A Real Equestrian in 1999, starring Mona Zaky and Ezzat Abu Ouf, just as his illness became to affect him.

His other movies include Mother of the Bride and The Grandchild, which were studies into Egyptian homes, focusing on the difficulties of family life.

Salem is survived by his daughter Layla and a granddaughter.