Arab cinema in the context of "Silent movies"

The Egyptian film industry is today based mainly in Cairo, which is sometimes referred to as Hollywood on the Nile, Hollywood of the Middle East or Hollywood of the East, despite having its beginnings in the city of Alexandria in the early 20th century. A strong industry grew in Egypt with a high distribution rate among the Arab world, and Cairo produces around three-quarters of the Arab world's screen output. It has had a large effect on the Arab film industry since the early 20th century.

Egyptian cinema is considered a pioneer in African and Arab film industries. Since 1896, over 4,000 films have been produced in Egypt. Egyptian films are typically spoken in the Egyptian Arabic dialect. In 1936, Egypt held its first ever Egyptian cinema festival in Cairo, followed by another one in 1938. Since 1952, Cairo has held the Egyptian Catholic Center for Cinema Festival; it is the oldest film festival in the Middle East. In 1976, the capital held the annual FIAPF-accredited Cairo International Film Festival, which has since been held annually, and there are many more film festivals held in Egypt.

Cinema of Africa covers both the history and present of the making or screening of films on the African continent, and also refers to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture. It dates back to the early 20th century, when film reels were the primary cinematic technology in use. As there are more than 50 countries with audiovisual traditions, there is no one single 'African cinema'. Both historically and culturally, there are major regional differences between North African and sub-Saharan cinemas, and between the cinemas of different countries.

The cinema of Egypt and the cinema of Tunisia are also among the oldest in the world. Cinema of Egypt in particular is the most established and flourishing industry in Africa. Pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière screened their films in Alexandria, Cairo, Tunis, Susa, Libya and Hammam-Lif, Tunisia in 1896. Albert Samama Chikly is often cited as the first producer of indigenous African cinema, screening his own short documentaries in the casino of Tunis as early as December 1905. The first film to be produced was the 1923's Barsoum Looking for a Job in Egypt. Alongside his daughter Haydée Tamzali, Chikly would go on to produce important early milestones such as 1924's The Girl from Carthage. In 1927, Egypt produced Laila, the first feature-length film produced by Aziza Amir and directed by Stephan Rosti and Wedad Orfi. In 1935, the Studio Misr in Cairo began producing mostly formulaic comedies and musicals, but also films like Kamal Selim's The Will (1939). Egyptian cinema flourished in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, considered its Golden Age. Youssef Chahine's seminal Cairo Station (1958) laid the foundation for Arab film.