In memory of Fawzi Soliman (1924-2017)
INTERFILM mourns the decease of its Egyptian member Fawzi Soliman who passed away on 3rd September at the age of 93. He was a film critic, member of the Egyptian Association of Film Critics and member of the Supreme Council of Cairo (IFF).
Born in 1924, he studied history, pedagogy and education and obtained a MA in journalism. He worked as a teacher of social science, geography, history and philosophy at Secondary Schools from 1947-1979 as well as professor in the Institute for Teacher Training from 1953-1954 and principal of the Egyptian Coptic Secondary School in Jerusalem-Jordan from 1955-1957. He was cultural editor of the Al Masaa Newspaper (the “Evening” Newspaper) and published film reviews in many Egyptian and Arab magazines. He also contributed to the annual international film guide. Soliman founded the Cairo Goethe Institute Film Club which he presided over for 25 years. He was also member of the Film Society Cairo and member of the Catholic Film and Mass Media Center Cairo with its competition for films with moral values.
He loved visiting international film festivals, for instance the Filmfest München and the international Film Festivals in Karlovy Vary and Locarno and served in several juries, for instance 1971 and 1973 as member of the International Jury at the Documentary Film Festival Leipzig, and for Fipresci in the jury in Locarno 1987, 1988 and 1989. As a spiritual and humble guided man, he loved to be a member of INTERFILM and represented it 1991 in the jury in Mannheim and 2009 in the ecumenical jury Locarno. To the Jury Coordinator of INTERFILM, he wrote in September 1990: “I have always appreciated your work in film festivals and it is a great honour for me to maintain contact and co-operation with INTERFILM”. And so he did!