via El-Shai
The award-winning director Kamla Abu Zekry is the daughter of renowned author Wagih Abu Zekry. Kamla started her career as a co-director in 1993, and it wasn’t until a decade later that she released her directorial debut and commercial success Sana Oula Nasb. Her movies have been screened in various international film festivals, including Cairo, Dubai, Venice, and Cannes.
Kamla has been acknowledged as the voice of Egyptian women through her movies and delivers the truth behind the unspoken heart-aching stories of many women’s struggles. To celebrate her birthday, we’re running down Kamla’s most powerful female characters that challenged the minds of many regarding female-centred issues.
Fatma – 3an El 3eshq Wel Hawa
via El Cinema
Ghada Abdelrazik plays the role of an orphan working at a nightclub to earn money and help raise her sister (Mona Zaki). Even working as a sex worker, the character maintains her strength as a woman despite the loneliness and shame associated with the profession.
Salma – 3an El 3eshq Wel Hawa
via El Cinema
Menna Shalaby portrays the trials and tribulations of being a second wife, showcasing a character who’s determined to go after what she wants regardless of society’s beliefs.
Shereen – Wahed Sefr
via El Cinema
The struggle of a middle-aged Christian woman fighting for her right to remarry after divorce is tackled in this award-winning movie, and Elham Shahin effortlessly plays the role.
Reham – Wahed Sefr
via El Cinema
Nelly Karim plays a conservative Muslim nurse subjected to sexual assault by a policeman for standing by her morals and not agreeing to loosen up for a person of authority.
Huda – Wahed Sefr
via El Cinema
An example of unconditional motherly love is witnessed in Intisar’s character, who works night and day to secure a future for her son. But unfortunately, her son holds her accountable for her past and shames her for it despite all her efforts.
Zat – Bent Esmaha Zat
via AraGeek
The show discusses Zat, played by Nelly Karim, as she is forced to adapt to the social and cultural pressures of being a woman, from undergoing genital mutilation as a child to being oppressed growing up.
Ghalia – Segn El Nessa
via Sayidaty
Nelly Karim strikes again with a character that transforms a naive empathetic jailer into the vengeful person she became after imprisonment.
Dalal – Segn El Nessa
via Annahar
Dorra Zarrouk’s most powerful acting performance must be as the prostitute sold into the sex industry. Unlike previous movies, Kamla shed light on the psychological manipulation the family can inflict on women.
Reda – Segn El Nessa
via Masrawy
A simple girl from the countryside is sent to the city for a job as a housemaid before being subjected to endless degrading by the house owners. It represents what modern slavery looks like, and Ruby mastered the role of transforming from a naive out-of-place girl to shooting higher than her capabilities and seeking revenge in disturbing ways.
Zeinat – Segn El Nessa
via Youm7
Nesrine Amin plays the role of a woman whose life falls below the poverty line and who would prefer lock-up to roaming the streets in search of necessities such as food, company, and shelter.
Shamia – Youm Lel Setat
via Youm7
Elham Shahin displayed women’s battles with age as she played a retired model in her late fifties. In a touching monologue, she vocalised her struggle with the sexual oppression she faces with increasing age.
Azza – Youm Lel Setat
via Youm7
Nahed El Sebaie performed the overly sexualised, mentally impaired young woman whose dream is to bathe in the pool in her swimsuit without care. Instead, she falls prey to one of her neighbours with an ulterior motive who grooms her.
Rouh – Betlou3 El Rouh
via El Fann
Menna Shalaby’s life as a wife turns upside down when her husband abducts her to an ISIS camp in Syria. Inspired by real-life events, her attempts at escaping are nerve-wracking to watch.
