Farouk Falouks, 89, gets Cairo Film Festival's Golden Pyramid lifetime award

He never topped a film poster, yet he is one of the most familiar faces in Egyptian cinema. Now the Cairo International Film Festival is giving Farouk Falouks its Golden Pyramid for lifetime achievement.

The festival announced the award 48 hours before the opening of its 47th edition. The ceremony takes place on Wednesday at the Cairo Opera House.

What happened?

Falouks, born Farouk Tawfik Saleh and now 89, will receive the honour for a career of more than six decades. Two others get the same award this year: cinematographer Said Shimy and author Dr Medhat El-Adl.

The festival's citation praises characters that left a mark on Egyptian and Arab audiences. It highlights his signature smile, his natural style and his eye for small details in a role. Falouks thanked the festival and its president, actor Hussein Fahmy, in press comments.

Why does this award matter?

Falouks started out in university theatre in the 1960s. He then joined Fouad El-Mohandes and Shwikar in the plays "Ana wa Huwa wa Hiya" and "Sayyidati al-Jamila", followed by hits such as "Sana Ma'a el-Shoghl el-Lazeez".

On screen, he shared scenes with big stars. Among his films are "El-Mahfaza Ma'aya" (1978) with Adel Imam, "Darbet Shams" (1980) with Nour El-Sherif and "El-Mar'a wal-Satour" (1997) with Nabila Obeid. His last film on the list is "Sayea Bahr" (2004) with Ahmed Helmy.

Critic Khaled Mahmoud says a winner does not have to be a box-office star. He points to Falouks's bold choices, such as his role in "The Dancer and the Politician" (1990). He adds that the decision could open the door to other veteran actors who never headlined. Critic Mohamed Abdel Khalek calls the honour well deserved and stresses his multigenerational stage role in "Sayyidati al-Jamila".

The festival's own statement says he gave supporting characters real dramatic weight, through tone of voice, facial expression and rhythm.

What's next?

Falouks will take the stage on opening night on Wednesday. His son, actor Ahmed Falouks, said he was delighted by the tribute.

The festival has come a long way since its first edition in 1976. Three years ago, Falouks also published his memoir, "The Time and I... Between Engineering, Art and Life", which covers his engineering studies, his love of acting and his work with Fouad El-Mohandes and Adel Imam.

Sometimes the biggest honour goes to the face you have always recognised, even when you could not name the film.