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The Archive

Cimatheque’s Archive is a space where the narratives of the Egyptian cinematic heritage are revisited. The Archive invites researchers and artists to a portal of history where more than 20.000 items such as rare documents, films, posters, flyers, magazines, catalogues and even personal belongings are accessible to examine, question and interact with. Since it began its activities in 2012, Cimatheque has received numerous donations of rare materials of films, prints and manuscripts detailing over 60 years of Egyptian, Arab and international alternative cinema history. These include a rich collection of analogue film (super 8, 9.5, 16mm & 35mm) including historic and amateur works, specialized books in several languages, publications and reviews, personal notes, pictures, as well as historical correspondences. The donations are a dazzling collections of film history ranging from documentary film-maker Atteyat Abnoudy’s films to the libraries of film critic Abdelhameed Saeed, in addition to the visually stimulating collections of puppeteer/stage/film director Nagy Shaker and cartoonist and animation artist Ehab Shaker. More recently, Cimatheque’s archive also started hosting the collection of Magdy Rafla, a dedicated cinephile and film collector.

Magdy Rafla Collection
Magdy Rafla Collection
The Rafla collection is Cimatheque’s biggest acquisition including more than 2,000 film reels, dozens of splicers, projectors, rewinders, slide projector, cameras, and slides. Magdy Rafla was a jeweler by profession and a film collector for leisure, we acquired his collection in April/May 2019 and moved it from Heliopolis neighborhood in Cairo to Cimatheque’s premises by our team. ...Read More
Atteyat el Abnoudy Collection
Atteyat el Abnoudy Collection
Atteyat el Abnoudy was an Egyptian documentary film-maker, journalist, lawyer, actress, and producer. She is one of the pioneering Arab female documentary film-makers, at times referred to as the “poor people’s filmmaker” given the subject matter of her films that were concerned with civil rights and the conditions of impoverished Egyptians, Arabs, and peoples of the global South....Read More
Ihab Shaker Collection
Ihab Shaker Collection
Ihab Shaker was a multi-talented artist who specialized in animation. He rose as a prominent sketch artist through his work in Egyptian journalism institutions. He was a prolific artist producing various forms of artwork from children’s books, puppets, illustration, cartoons, paintings, animation, and news caricatures....Read More
Baheega and Hassan Rashid Collection
Baheega and Hassan Rashid Collection
Baheega and Hassan Rashid are respectively a children’s song composer/folk music researcher (Baheega) and an opera composer (Hassan). The family of Rashid donated this collection to Cimatheque in June 2012...Read More
Hussein Helmy Mohandes Collection
Hussein Helmy Mohandes Collection
Hussein Helmy Mohandes was a prominent director, writer, and professor who was known for his directing and script writing. He was also the former President of the Cinema Syndicate and also taught script writing and directing at the Egyptian High Cinema Institute....Read More
Abdelhamid Said Collection
Abdelhamid Said Collection
Abdelhamid Said worked in the Egyptian Film Center under the “Arts Sector” of the Ministry of Culture in starting in the 50s. He is the first historically to be recorded for suggesting, initiating and heading an Egyptian national film archive....Read More
Nagy Shaker Collection
Nagy Shaker Collection
Nagy Shaker taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Decor. He is especially known for his diploma project on puppetry which launched the first puppet theater showing in Egypt. ...Read More
Found Footage Collection
Found Footage Collection
The Found Footage collection comes from the acquisitions titled El Tarbiya fi Masr or Education in Egypt that is being currently inspected. It includes advertisements, newsreels, home movies and more ...Read More
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