Alexandria... New York (2004)
"Alexandrie... New York" (original title)

Yehia, an Egyptian director from Alexandria goes to New York where he is reunited with Ginger, a women he dated forty years ago.

Director:

Youssef Chahine

Writers:

Youssef Chahine, Khaled Youssef

Stars:

Mahmoud Hemida, Ahmed Yehia, Youssra

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mahmoud Hemida	...	Yehia (old) (as Mahmoud Hemeida)
Ahmed Yehia	...	Yehia (young) / Alexander
Youssra	...	Ginger (old)
Yousra El Lozy	...	Ginger (young)
Lebleba	...	Jeannie
Hala Sedki	...	Bonnie
Magda El-Khatib	...	Shanewise (as Magda El Khatib)
Nelly Karim	...	Carmen / Rita Haweri
Mohamed Hasabo
Sanaa Younes	...	La concierge
Soad Nasr	...	Zoé
Yousra Selim	...	Bonnie (jeune)
Mahmoud Saad	...	Le directeur du Festival de New York
Mahmoud El Lozy	...	The Dean
Hamdy El Sakhawy	...	Eric

Storyline

Egyptian film director Yehia encounters his first love Ginger as he was being celebrated in New York. Back then they were 19 years old. The American Dream was the thing of the 20th century. Yehia, the boy from Alexandria, and Ginger, the American gal, were students at Pasadena Playhouse.40 years later, they are back together but the world has changed and the American Dream is no longer what it used to be. Yehia finds out that he had begotten an American child, a boy. Through a boisterous epic in which heroes love, sing, dance, laugh and cry, Youssef Chahine reconsiders his past and his ambiguous relationship to America which he loved so much.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | fictional biography | father son relationship | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Egypt France

Language:

Arabic English

Release Date:

7 July 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Alexandria... New York

Filming Locations:

Egypt

Box Office

Budget:

€4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ognon Pictures, MISR International Films, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Shahin's last hopefully!

I Think yousef shahin should stop making films! I'm afraid he must hang up his boots, i.e, stop rolling. I saw portions of this film, not all of it but its the usual Shahine clichés. Shahin still insists on using songs & dances in his films which alienate viewers from the serious continuity of the film, when it exists. The scene where Yehia(Ahmed yehya) is angry and shouting at his mother Ginger(yousra) after finding out his real father is Egyptian (his looks aren't exactly American or Caucasian either) is just another example of cementing notions in the psyche of the audience. Another scene where Yousra-Ginger is confronted by a racial burst of venom that's only to inflame the inferiority complex of many. Some bits seem distant in nature & do not fit but then that could be just me. Casting the new comer Ahmed yehia wasn't a good choice. He can dance but cannot act. The other new comer Yousra Louzy seems quite promising but will she drift into the mainstream Egyptian cinema scene or will she break the mould & do something inventive? only time will tell. Shahin should have stopped those auto biographies years ago, it was OK for a film or two but now it's really boring & tedious. If there aren't any other interesting topics that fascinate him, then his health is obscuring his vision & must stop making films, at least not his biography anymore.