Via Savvy Women
The filmmaking industry is largely a male-dominated field, yet there are some female names that echo in the Egyptian and Arab industries! These ladies did not only excel at their work, but they also won multiple awards and, more importantly, gained the public’s recognition. Since that’s the case, we would like to honour them and their outstanding work—start reading!
1- Kamla Abu Zekri
Kamla Abu Zekri is an Egyptian film and TV director whose works, like Wahed-Sefr, and A Day for Women, have been shown in film festivals such as the Cairo International Film Festival, the Dubai International Film Festival, and the Venice Film Festival. Her films even made it to Cannes Film Festival, as well.
Her TV shows were mostly dramatic works that addressed serious social issues. For instance, 2014’s Segn El-Nesa and 2013’s A Girl Named Zat were both led by the wonderful Nelly Karim, with both shows addressing the problems women face in Egyptian society, whether as prisoners or free women. Kamla also had a go at comedy in 2020 with her fan-favourite show, Bi 100 Wesh.
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2- Nadine Labaki
A Lebanese actress, director and activist who first came into the spotlight as an actress in the early 2000s, Nadine Labaki’s filmmaking career began in 2007 after the release of her debut film, Caramel, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. However, she did not stop there as she became the first female Arab director to be nominated for an Academy Award in the category for Best Foreign Language Film. How impressive is that? She also likes to cast herself in her own movies for more improvision and creativity, which is evident in works like Bosta and Capernaum.
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3- Hala Khalil
Hala Khalil is a well-established Egyptian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Her work includes many short films, documentaries, TV series, and feature films. Some of her movies are 1997’s The Kite, 2004’s The Best of Times, and 2015’s Nawara. Khalil has received many awards from the Arab Film Festival, Rotterdam Arab Camera Festival, and the Rabat Film Festival.
Most notably, she belongs to the new generation of Egyptian female commercial and independent filmmakers that emerged in the 90s. The films of this period focused on the everyday lives of Egyptian women and their identity, functioning as a strong part of feminism in Egypt.
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4- Sandra Nashaat
A talented filmmaker, Sandra Nashaat has an exceptional vision when it comes to cinematography! Whether it’s El-Rahena, Haramya Fi KG 2, or Haramya Fi Thailand, we definitely can’t imagine our lives without these films! She also directed El-Maslaha, Malaky Iskindria, and Masgoon Transit, all of which are some of Egypt’s most successful movies. Sandra Nashaat is the daughter of a Lebanese mother and a Syrian father, but she is actually Egyptian, and we couldn’t be more proud of her for blessing us with these well-made films!
