By Cate Knothe
Filmmaking is a diverse and expansive tradition for women of all backgrounds. Across countries and cultures, women rely upon the cinematic arts to share their often unheard perspectives of the world. In the MENA+ region in particular, there is a high saturation of female filmmakers. To many, this negates Western stereotypes and generalizations surrounding the Arab world, including the notion that Arab women are oppressed, complying with every rule dictated by man. Contrary to these Western assumptions, 26 percent of independent Arab filmmakers are women, and in Qatar, which has one of the highest percentages of female representation in the film industry, women make up 60 percent of all emerging filmmakers. In comparison, women compose only four percent of filmmakers in the West. The plenitude of MENA+ women filmmakers, especially when compared to Western women in film, challenges these Orientalist misconceptions and fights to depict the truth about women’s rights and dignity in the Middle East.
The abundance of Arab women in filmmaking may seem like a modern development, but in actuality, it dates back to the 1920s and 1930s. During the age of silent film and with the emergence of film as a new art form, several Arab women began creating their own films. In fact, the absence of women in filmmaking meant that Arab women often started their careers by assuming every role in their projects: writing, directing, producing, and starring. These women challenged the societal norms of their age and, as Egyptian filmmaker Marianne Khoury argues in her documentary Women Who Loved Cinema, laid the groundwork for women filmmakers in the industry today. The following seven women were most vital to the establishment of women's presence in Egytian film, and their legacies remain as compelling examples of strong, motivated individuals.
Aziza Amir (1901-1952)
Aziza Amir was born in Damietta, Egypt and became a stage actress early in life, joining several theatrical troupes. Her first film was Laila, which she starred in and later produced in 1927. Though contested, some believe that she directed it as well. Laila is believed to be the first full-length film in Egyptian cinema, and one newspaper claims that after the premiere, a prominent industrialist congratulated her with “You have accomplished what no man has accomplished” (Hillauer, 2005). Throughout her filmmaking career, Amir demonstrated the ability of women to criticize and shatter cultural taboos. In 1948, Amir wrote and produced the film Bint min Filastin (A Girl from Palestine), which became the first Arab film to depict the so-called “Palestinian problem.”
Haydee Chikly (1906-1998)
Haydée Chikly was the daughter of Albert Samama Chikly, a prominent filmmaker during the age of the silent film. She was born in Tunis, Tunisia, and is widely considered the first woman screenwriter in Africa. Chikly collaborated with her father on two of his films: 1922’s Zohra and 1924’s The Girl from Carthage. Not only did she star in these films, but she also helped write the script and served as lead editor for both films. However, unlike the Egyptian women pioneers who solidified and cemented the film tradition in Egypt during the 1920s, the film industry in Tunisia gained its momentum much later, after Tunisian independence in the 1960s. However, Chickly’s contributions in the early part of the century cannot be overlooked, as they established foundations for future generations of women filmmakers.
Assia Dagher (1904-1986)
While she began her career as an actress, Assia Dagher became one of the most well-known women film producers in Egyptian cinematic history, having had produced over 100 films throughout her career. Born in Tannourine, Lebanon, one of her first acting jobs was as an extra in Aziza Amir’s Laila. After several other roles, she formed her own production company, Lotus Film, and in 1957, she produced the first Egyptian movie in color and CinemaScope, Ruda qalbi (Return My Heart). She also produced the first film to receive money from the government film fund, al-Nasir Salah al-Din, in 1963; it is now considered a classic in Arab cinema. Under her leadership, Lotus Film became the longest-surviving production company in Egypt—a particularly impressive feat given most production companies collapsed after producing only a few films.
Bahiga Hafiz (1908-1983)
Originally from Alexandria, Bahiga Hafiz was a talented creative who not only worked in cinema but also pursued set and costume design and composed all the music for her films. She would even occasionally accompany these films live on piano. When she became an actress, her family disowned her, and some say they even accepted condolences for their “loss” (El Dorghamy, 2018). Despite her family’s disappointment, Hafiz created and produced several films through her and her husband’s production company, Fanar Film. In 1932, they produced their first film, al-Dahaya (The Victims), and four years thereafter, they published Laila bint al-sahara’(Laila, Daughter of the Desert). The latter dealt with the historic rivalry between Arab and Persian clans and was ultimately banned in Egypt. The film’s discussion of violence between Arabs and Persians threatened a royal wedding scheduled to occur that year between the Egyptian princess and the Shah of Iran. When the royal couple divorced in the 1940s, the film returned as Laila, Bedouin Girl. Hafiz made her final film, Zahrat al-Suq (Flower of the Market), in 1947. However, when it failed commercially, she decided to focus on her music.
Amina Mohamed (1908-1985)
Amina Mohamed was a dancer and actress from Tanta, Egypt. While not as well-known as several of the other Arab women pioneers, Mohamed is considered an important example of the strong-willed women filmmakers and a model of how women must assert themselves in such a male-dominated field. She was known for her “strong personality because she carried herself in a self-assured and natural manner” (Hillauer, 2005). In 1937, Mohamed directed Tita Wongas, a setting in which she was the only woman in a group of her male director and artist friends. It was an extremely low budget film, but Mohamed was responsible for pulling together many of the props and materials necessary for production.
Fatima Rushdi (1908-1996)
Born into poverty in Alexandria, Fatima Rushi was an influential actress and producer who started her career, like many, on the stage. She shot her first and only film, The Wedding, in 1933, which told the story of a young woman whose father ‘sold’ her into an arranged marriage and the subsequent karma that materialized when the father died. However, according to Rushdi’s memoirs, after the film’s premiere, she burned the only existing copy. Following this, she continued to act and is now best known for her role in the 1939 film al-‘Azeema (Determination). She also started a salon, or conversational gatherings, for filmmakers in Cairo.
Mary Queeny (1916-2003)
Born as Mary Younis in Lebanon, Mary Queeney was the niece of Assia Dagher. Like her aunt, she also started her film career as an actress and played the starring role in many of Dagher’s films. Queeney worked as a film editor, as well, which was rare for women of that time. In 1944, she and her husband founded a film production company, Studio Galal, which became one of the five biggest production companies during the Egyptian “Golden Age” of cinema. Queeney ran the company alone for five years after the death of her husband, and in 1952, when the company was nationalized, she worked as executive producer for the Egyptian state’s films. She also produced many of her son’s films, who soon became a prominent film director in his own right.
When exploring the stories of these women, one recognizes the contributions they made while pursuing creativity in the face of convention. They were strong-willed women who persevered in their filmmaking dreams despite the societal expectations and gender normative roles. While their names may not hold the same weight today as they did back then, these writers, directors, actors, and producers are nonetheless intertwined with the current, future-oriented trajectory of cinema.
References
Al Remaihi, Fatma Hassan. The Female Narrative: Voices from the Middle East. 9 Apr. 2019, (link).
Armes Roy, Women pioneers of Arab cinema, Screen, Volume 48, Issue 4, Winter 2007, Pages 517–520, (link).
El Dorghamy, Yasmine. “Calling the Shots: The Women Who Founded Egyptian Cinema.” Rawi Magazine, 2018, (link).
“Pioneers of Arab Silent Film.” Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers, by Rebecca Hillauer, The American University in Cairo Press, 2005, pp. 27–33.