Mohamed Khan, 1942-2016: As Mada Masr puts it in their dedication, “Mohamed Khan… was one of Egypt’s greatest and most influential filmmakers. His films make up a significant part of [a] very important period in Egyptian filmmaking history, associated with the 1980s and often called neo-realism… Khan’s most prevalent themes include class struggle, the effects of Anwar Sadat’s capitalist open-door policy, societal oppression of women, and food.” The renowned Egyptian film director Mohamed Khan passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 73 in a Maadi hospital, according to Ahram Online. Khan is perhaps best known for his 1978 film Darbet Shams, 1983’s El Harrif and 2001’s Ayyam El Sadat (Days of Sadat), which is considered one of the pinnacle roles of late actor Ahmed Zaki. (Read Mada Masr’s tribute: 10 articles and a video inspired by the late Mohamed Khan)

That aside: Khan was simply one of life’s good guys, as underscored by the simple fact of him floating on a cloud of air, a smile plastered on his face, when we last ran into him at our neighborhood bookstore / magazine shop after he learned he would at last be made Egyptian by presidential decree, as his father was Pakistani and his mother Egyptian.