“The Blue Elephant 2,” a thriller with horror elements in which she stars – directed by Marwan Hamed who cast her more than a decade ago in “The Yacoubian Building” – recently became Egypt’s all-time top box office earner. And right after Venice, she is heading to Toronto to promote first-time Tunisian director Hinde Boujemaa’s “Noura Dreams,” a drama about a woman who dreams of divorcing her husband who is about to be released from jail.
The arrival of all these platforms is a great opportunity for us. We are transitioning towards more universal stories, that are also very local. Filmmakers in the Middle East are more aware that in order to be seen they have to have authenticity, but also have to deliver a universal story. As an actress it’s exciting because there is a return of powerful female lead roles in commercial cinema.
She's Tunisian not Egyptian.