Remembering Raafat El-Meehy through 6 of his greatest films

Prominent Egyptian scriptwriter, director and producer Raafat El-Meehy died Friday afternoon at the age of 75 in Cairo following hospitalization for complications from a weakened heart, reported Al Ahram.

Meehy, who was born in 1940 and got a diploma from the Egyptian Film Institute in 1964, was widely recognized as a pioneer of experimentation in Egyptian cinema, making him one of the most important figures in Egyptian art and culture in the 20th century.

Meehy, who started his cinematic career in 1966 as a scriptwriter before moving on to directing in 1981 and later producing, left behind half a century's worth of cinematic work.

The Egyptian director consistently stirred controversy throughout his long career with his films. He was well-known not just for his creativity and artistic experimentation but for breaking the status quo and challenging societal foundations with his ideas.

The filmmaker's controversial films won numerous Egyptian and international awards including a special award from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. His legacy will surely live on through these films.

Written and directed by Meehy, the controversial film about superstition in Egypt stars Yehia El-Fakharany. It tells the story of a man who is diagnosed with heart disease and marries a poor woman who resorts to superstitious beliefs to save her husband's life. The film was considered one of the most important films in Arab cinema and received special recognition from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Also written and directed by Meehy, the film was considered his most controversial. The comedy stars Yousra and Adel Imam and it tells the story of a lawyer who meets a rich drug dealer during a short prison sentence and manages to get him out only to rob him but instead gets tricked and finds himself back in prison.

The film which was Meehy's first as director and stars Ahmed Zaki and Madiha Kamal, was based on the American play "Desire Under the Elm." It tells the story of an old man who marries a young girl who falls in love with his brother who hates him and plans to run away with her before both their lives are turned upside down.

The films which was written by Meehy and stars Egyptian cinema icon Soad Hosny and Mahmoud Yassin, tells the story of a young woman who was forced to marry a man she doesn't love instead of the one she does love as she fights to break free from her arranged marriage under the eyes of society.

Written by Meehy and Starring Soad Hosny, Mahmoud Yassin and Roshdy Abaza, the film is a psychological drama about a woman struggling with her marriage as her husband tells her she's crazy, so she decides to get help from a therapist as a series of secrets and lies unfold from both sides.

Also starring Soad Hosny and Roshdy Abaza, the film, which was written by Meehy and directed by Kamal El Sheikh, is considered an Egyptian cinema classic.The drama tells the story of a young woman who continues to live in her father's house even after she gets married as her father refuses to let them leave, she goes on to have an affair with her husband's friend leading to terrible consequences.