Atef Salem is a famous Egyptian director, born in Sudan to Egyptian parents. He enriched Egyptian cinema with many notable films. Among his famous films are Mother of the Bride (1963) and its sequel, The Grandson (1975). He began his artistic career as an actor in the movie Magda (1943), then worked as an assistant director for several directors, then as a director.

He directed 32 films between 1954 and 2001. Many of his films were scripted by the novelist Naguib Mahfouz. His 1967 film Khan el Khalili was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film Festival.