The Anna Lindh Foundation has decided to dedicate the name of the renowned Egyptian film director, Youssef Chahine, to this year’s edition of its Euromed Award for the Dialogue between Cultures, in recognition to Chahine's devotion to promoting mutual understanding in the region.

The region-wide outpouring for the death of Youssef Chahine, from government leaders to men and women living on both shores of the Mediterranean, is a testament of the artistic and social impact of Egypt’s great film-maker. During his fifty-eight year career, Chahine tackled important and contentious issues including the freedom of expression and freedom of faith in the region, with his later films championing the need for a just and tolerant society.

In recognition of these achievements, and inspired by his life-long commitment to using art to stimulate debate and social change, the Anna Lindh Foundation has decided to entitle the 2008 edition of its regional award for dialogue between cultures : ‘The Youssef Chahine Award for Dialogue through Arts’. The Award, an initiative of the Anna Lindh Foundation and Fondazione Mediterraneo, is voted upon annually by the Foundation’s Network of civil society organisations which is active in Egypt and more than thirty other Euro-Mediterranean countries. The winner of the 2008 edition of the award will be announced on the 3rd of August, 2008.

Chahine himself received a lifetime achievement award for his film work at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, an Egyptian director who gained an international reputation at the grass-root and political level. The Anna Lindh Foundation, who is focused on addressing many of the issues raised by Chahine such as freedom of expression and cultural coexistence, recognises the film-maker as a 'man of dialogue' who promoted a better understanding of Egyptian and Arab people abroad, and believed strongly in the spirit of multiculturalism and coexistence.

For the Anna Lindh Foundation, who’s headquarters are located in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, birth-place of the remarkable film-maker, Youssef Chahine will rest as a symbol of dialogue, continuing to inspire ongoing work for tolerance, better understanding and mobility of ideas across the region.