Studio Misr
 | |
Native name | ستوديو مصر |
|---|---|
| Company type | Film studio |
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 12 October 1935 |
| Founder | Talaat Harb (Banque Misr) |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Arab world • Middle East |
| Owner | Egyptian Ministry of Culture |
| Parent | Cultural and Cinematic Asset Management Company |
Studio Misr (Eng: “The Studio of Egypt"), also known as Studios Misr, is an Egyptian film studio established in Giza, in 1935. Founded by the economist and industrialist Talaat Harb, Studio Misr was the giant cinema project of Banque Misr, the first national bank in Egypt – a monarchy under British occupation back then. [1] [2] It is the oldest surviving film studio in Egypt, and is today owned by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and managed by the Cultural and Cinematic Asset Management Company, a daughter company of the ministry. [3][1]
Owned and staffed by Egyptians, Studio Misr transformed cinema into a real industry in Egypt and marked the beginning of the golden age of Egyptian cinema(Al-Hadari, in [4] p.86). Studio Misr was also considered as the sole school of cinema in Egypt through the training of its technicians and artists, until 1959, date of creation of the Higher Institute of Cinema in Giza (Al-Kalioubi, in [4] p.100). By producing talking narrative films and renting its facilities to other film producers, Studio Misr contributed to establishing Egypt’s important place in the Arab-speaking world. [4] For three decades, it was the Egyptian equivalent to Hollywood's major studios, and was even called “Hollywood of the Orient.” [1] Studio Misr was nationalized as a consequence of the nationalization of Banque Misr in February 1960 under Nasser (Abou Chadi, in [4] p.118).
History
[edit]Background
[edit]Economist and financier Talaat Harb, realised the cultural and economic impact of cinema, as films began to be made in the 1920s. At a time when feature films were being made in a few very basic film studios established first in Alexandria and then Cairo, he created the Misr Company for Acting and Cinema (MCAC), also known as Egyptian Acting and Cinema Company, which produced documentaries to promoted the Egyptian film industry.[2]
After realising that feature films were the future of the industry, he laid the groundwork for a studio which would to provide facilities for local filmmakers to shoot and edit feature films in Egypt. He first sent four young men (Ahmed Badrakhan, Maurice Kassab, Mohamed Abdel Azim, and Hassan Mourad) to study in Germany, which then led the world in film production. Harb then recruited experts in various aspects of filmmaking, employed director Fritz Kramp, and purchased the latest equipment. He built a state-of-the-art auditorium, Cinema Studio Misr, to help finance further equipment needed for the new studio. The luxurious new cinema was located in Emad al-Din Street, replacing an old cinema.[2]
Opening and success
[edit]The new studio, known as Studio Misr, or Studios Misr according to the signage outside the building, was officially opened on 12 October 1935.[2]
Studio Misr's first film was Weddad (1936), the first film to star the singer Umm Kulthum.[5]
In 1939 Studio Misr made four films, including The Will (1939), out of a total of fifteen Egyptian films. Facing difficulty raising capital in the 1940s, Studio Misr reduced its emphasis on direct film production, increasingly renting out its development, printing and editing facilities to other Arab filmmakers.[6]
World War II
[edit]During World War II, many poor-quality but commercially successful films were created by people wanting to earn profit, and the studio was affected by this type of competition.[2]
In 1946, Studio Misr made three films - including Black Market (1946) - out of a total of 52 Egyptian films.[6]
Nationalization
[edit]In 1960, the studio was nationalised by the government of Gamal Abdel Nasser.[7]
Post-Privatization
[edit]In the year 2000 when they were offered for privatization, cinema assets (studios and a number of theaters) were managed by the Holding Company for Tourism and Cinema under the Ministry of Public Business Sector (cited in the Cultural and Cinematic Asset Management Company website). At the end of the privatization lease in 2020, the cinema assets, including Studio Misr, were transferred to the Holding Company for Investment in Cultural and Cinematic Fields under the Ministry of Culture, established by a Cabinet decision in 2016. [2] [3]
In 2022, the Ministry of Culture established the Cultural and Cinematic Asset Management Company that is managing Studio Misr to date. Early in August , 2025, The Minister of Culture announced the ministry’s plan for the promotion of cinema industry in Egypt, the development of the studios and cinema assets, and the preservation of cinema heritage. [4] [5]
Significance and impact
[edit]Several other studios were founded in Cairo in the wake of the success of Misr, including Al-Ahram,[2] Nassibian[8] (incorrectly spelt Nassabian[2] or Nasabian[9] in some sources), Galal, and Nahhas, although none attained the same stature.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Hasan, Ilhami (1986). Mohamed Talaat Harb: Ra’ed Sena’at al-Cinema al-Masreya 1867-1941 [Mohamed Talaat Harb: Pioneer of Egyptian Cinema Industry 1867-1941] (in Arabic). Cairo: Al-Hya’a al-Masreya al-Amma lil-kitab. ISBN 7 0965 01 977.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Ramzy, Kamal (2018). "The Dream Factory: The Story of Studio Misr". Rawi. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
This article was first published in print in RAWI's Issue 9, 2018
- ^ "6 اختصاصات لشركة إدارة الأصول الثقافية والسينمائية المنشأة بقرار وزيرة الثقافة - بوابة الشروق". www.shorouknews.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d Wassef, Magda (1995). Egypte 100 ans de cinéma [Egypt: 100 Years of Cinema] (in French). Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe & Editions Plumes. ISBN 2 906062 81 2.
- ^ Terri Ginsberg; Chris Lippard (2010). Historical Dictionary of Middle Eastern Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-8108-6090-2.
- ^ a b Armbrust, Walter (2004). "Egyptian cinema on screen and off". In Andrew Shryock (ed.). Off Stage/on Display: Intimacy and Ethnography in the Age of Public Culture. Stanford University Press. pp. 79–84. ISBN 978-0-8047-5007-3.
- ^ Determann, J.M. (2020). Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life: The Culture of Astrobiology in the Muslim World. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-7556-0130-1. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Salama, Samir (3 November 2021). "Egypt: Fire guts iconic Nassibian Studio Theatre". Mena – Gulf News. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "Revolution in Iran". Middle East Review. Special Studies. 12 (4). American Academic Association for Peace in the Middle East: 29. 1980. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
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