Leading Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine is reported to be in a coma after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
The official Egyptian news agency said the 82-year-old Mr Chahine was being taken to France for urgent treatment.
Youssef Chahine is one of the Arab world’s most distinguished filmmakers. He has made about 40 films in a career that started in the 1950s.
He has been a persistent critic of Islamic fundamentalism, and corruption in Egyptian political life.
More recently, he has also been a prominent opponent of American foreign policy in the Middle East.
Chahine received a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
