Biography

Jihan el-Tahri is an Egyptian writer, director, and producer. After receiving a degree in political science from the American University in Cairo, she worked as a news correspondent for British and American newspapers, covering the Middle East and Africa. She has authored, directed and produced award-winning documentary films, and books and reported on political conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. In 1990, El-Tahri began directing and producing documentaries for French television and international broadcasters. Her produced and directed documentaries, including the award-winning film Behind the Rainbow. She also produced and directed the acclaimed documentary Cuba: An African Odyssey and the Emmy-nominated House of Saud. Her 2014 Egypt's Modern Pharaohs, a trilogy of films about former Egyptian presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, was funded by a grant through the Doha Film Institute. Jihan's other accomplishments include being a member of the Executive Bureau of FEPACI (Federation of Pan-African Cinema) and the Secretary General of the Guild of African filmmakers in the Diaspora.