Everybody’s favourite Egyptian-Tunisian actress, Hend Sabry, has been selected as the first female Arab jury member for the Venice Film Festival, whose 76th edition is scheduled to begin on August 28th.
“I am proud of my selection as a jury member for the Venice International Film Festival. I was even more honoured when I came to learn that the veteran directors Emir Kusturica and Antonietta De Lillo will be the jury presidents,” Sabry shared on her Instagram account. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and is well known for its emphasis on giving artists the freedom to express themselves through film. “I hope to be a good ambassador for Arab art at the world’s oldest film festival and one of the three most important film festivals ever,” Sabry said.
Although Sabry studied law, luckily for all of her fans, she chose to pursue an acting career, tackling sensitive social issues through her roles in cinema. Most notably, just last year, Sabry starred in the TV series Halawet El Donia (The Sweetness of the World), a touching story on coping with cancer that literally grabbed everyone’s attention. Throughout her career Sabry has starred in many other important series and films, in addition to having built a substantial following on social media. Her most recent film, El Feel El Azrak 2 (The Blue Elephant 2), is currently making waves in Egypt and has already been declared a must-watch movie! “I am happy that the announcement of my selection as a jury member at the Venice Film Festival coincides with the screening of my film, El Feel El Azrak 2, and the positive reactions it received from Arab countries that are screening it,” she exclaimed.
Having won numerous awards throughout her career, including the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at the 2017 Cairo International Film Festival, Sabry has long stood out as a shining star. This is also not Sabry’s first time being part of an international jury. In 2016 she was the first Arab actress on the Rotterdam Film Festival jury panel and in 2015 she was a member of the Dubai International Film Festival jury. Being selected to sit on the Venice Film Festival jury is her latest well-deserved honour. We congratulate her and wish her much success in this prestigious role.