Jihan el-Tahri is an Egyptian-born, French filmmaker, author, and news correspondent. Writer, director, and producer, her films include the Emmy-nominated House of Saud and Do They Feel My Shadow, The Price of Aid, and Behind the Rainbow.
She has authored, directed, and produced award-winning documentary films, written books, and reported on political conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.
el-Tahri is a Member of the Executive Bureau of FEPACI (Federation of Pan-African Cinema) and Secretary General of The Guild of African Filmmakers in the Diaspora. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science, both from the American University in Cairo.
Speaking French, English, and Arabic (as well as some functional Spanish), Jihan was a correspondent for US News & World Report, covering the Middle East while residing in France. The main stories covered were: the return of Yasser Arafat to Gaza, the Algerian elections, the Madrid Peace Conference, Desert Shield and Desert Storm (Gulf War). In 1992, she filmed Bin Laden's training camps in Sudan.
el-Tahri was also a Special Correspondent for the Washington Post, The Financial Times (London), and US News & World Report while in Tunisia. The main stories covered were the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Islamic Movements, and Algeria. While living in Egypt, she was the Cairo correspondent for The Sunday Times (London) and correspondent for the Reuters news agency.
Filmography: Behind the Rainbow (Writer, Director, Producer), House of Saud (Writer, Director), The Price of Aid (Writer, Director), Requiem for Revolution: Cuba's African Odyssey (Writer, Director), Regard Croise Sur Le Sida (Viewpoints on AIDS) (Director), Histoire D'Un Suicide: Pierre Beregovoy (Writer, Director), 54 Heures D'Angoisse (Co-writer, Director), L'Afrique en Morceaux: La Tragedie des Grands Lacs (Writer, Director), Israel and the Arabs (Associate Producer, Writer), Holidays in Hell (Director), Algerie: La Vie Malge Tout (Director), Abortion in Ireland (Writer, Director), The Spiral Tribe: Rave Parties in UK (Writer, Director), Voleurs D'Organes (Co-Writer, Director), Le Coran et la Kalashnikov (Co-Writer, Producer), Enfance Enchainee (Producer), Le Jour de Drapeau (Producer), Do They Feel My Shadow (TV Researcher, Associate Producer), The Fundamental Questions (TV Researcher, Associate Producer), Arafat: Behind the Myth (TV Researcher, Associate Producer), Terrorism (TV Researcher, Associate Producer), Heaven Can Wait (TV Researcher, Associate Producer)
Icarus Films is proud to distribute two films by Jihan el-Tahri. Discover more of our featured filmmakers.
