At its opening ceremony on Monday, the Aswan Women's Film Festival honored one of the stars of Egyptian and Arab cinema, actress Laila Elwi, with the Isis Award for Achievement. The session, which extends until the 25th of this month, bears the name of the pioneering Egyptian actress, producer and director, Aziza Amir (1901-1952), on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of her birth. In addition to Laila Alawi, Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji and Polish director and screenwriter Dorota Kobiela Felchman were also honored.

Published on: 04/21/2026 - 08:39

With the participation of 65 films from 33 countries, the tenth session of the Aswan International Women's Film Festival kicked off Monday in southern Egypt, and will extend until the 25th of this month. The organizers chose the name of the pioneering Egyptian actress, producer and director Aziza Amir (1901-1952) as the title of this session.

At the opening ceremony, the festival honored one of the stars of Egyptian and Arab cinema, actress Laila Elwi, with the Isis Award for Achievement. He also honored Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji and Polish director and screenwriter Dorota Kobiela Felchman.

Laila Alawi expressed her pride in the honor, especially the Isis Award statue, because of its inspiring symbolism linked to the famous myth of Isis in ancient Egyptian civilization.

Commenting on the award, the Egyptian artist said: “I am happy with the honor, and I am even more happy with the deep meaning of the name Isis. For me, Isis is not just a myth that we read in books. Isis, for me, is a very deep and very important symbol for women and for Egypt.”

She added, "I will not consider it an award, and in honor of my journey in which I worked hard, and it was certainly not easy, and in which I went through many things that strengthened and helped me. I will consider it a covenant between you and me, a covenant of loyalty, to remain loyal to everything I believe in and to every work that will benefit society and benefit humanity. I dedicate this award to everyone who believes in the word, the image, and the art."

In parallel with the film screenings, the festival organizes (Aswan Forum for Young Filmmakers) to support new filmmakers and (Note Forum for Women’s Issues), which includes a series of seminars and meetings to link cinema with societal issues.

France 24/Reuters

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.