Mona Zaki

Jury Member

One of Egypt’s leading stars. She landed her first role when she was cast in Mohammad Sobhi’s Eloquent Arabic. Then she met with director Ismail Abdel Hafez who cast her in the successful TV series The Family. Among her remarkable works were Countryman in the American University (1998) and playing young Gihan El Sadat in El Sadat Days. Her talent and dedication were rewarded with the huge popularity of her films Africano (2001), Mafia (2002), Sleepless Nights (2003, Best Actress at Damascus Film Festival and Paris Biennale of Arab Cinema), Gazelle’s Blood (2005, Best Actress for at the Cairo National Festival for Egyptian Cinema), Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story (2009, Best Actress at the Paris Biennale of Arab Cinema) and others, in which she portrayed the struggles of women of different backgrounds. Mona is well-known for her contributions to national charities and in 2017, she was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN.

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