Youssef Chahine (Arabic: يوسف شاهين‎; 25 January 1926 – 27 July 2008) was an Egyptian film director, active in the Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death. He was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif. A critically acclaimed director frequently seen in film festivals during the earlier decades of his work, Chahine reached wider international audiences as one of the co-directors of 11'9"01 September 11.