The Portrayal of Christians in Egyptian Cinema

“Cinema is the mirror of society” is a popular cliché in discussions of Egyptian cinema. To what extent does cinema reflect social change? This book helps address this question, examining the portrayal of Christians and Christian-Muslim relations in 35 Egyptian movies from 1962 until 2009. It explores the dynamic history of Egypt’s Christians and Christian-Muslim relations. Using content analysis and in-depth interviews with filmmakers and film scholars, the author analyzes how Egyptian cinema’s portrayal of Christians has been influenced by political and social change during the presidencies of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak. The book includes synopses of the 35 films analyzed and analyses of Christian characters portrayed.