https://arab.news/7mep7
Recently a film chronicling the life of the Egyptian singer and actress Umm Kulthum, famously known as Kawkab Al-Sharq (Star of the East), hit the cinemas. The movie is very much needed today. As Arab people see what is happening in Palestine and feel helpless, the movie will ignite in them the pride of being Arab.
I rarely go to the cinema. I have a short attention span, and struggle to focus on a feature movie. “El Sett” is totally different. It is an impressive production, a world-class work of art. For two and a half hours, I could not blink.
As I left the cinema, my heart was full of pride, joy, and hope. The movie made me feel proud to be an Arab, proud to see the Arab resilience and talent represented by Umm Kulthum. I also felt proud to see such an impressive production coming not from Hollywood, but from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The acting, directing, sets, music — everything about this film is world class.
The movie filled my heart with joy. Somehow the character of Umm Kulthum is what we aspire to be. It is not only about her talent; it is about her determination. It is about the power of her character. During the 1967 war, after Israeli warplanes flew overhead, she decided to do her part and engage. She went to every district in Egypt to mobilize support for the Egyptian army. She recalled how once when she was a child, she had to sing during a storm to earn her fee. She had to sing because her family was poor and needed the money. She told her audience that sometimes you must stand and resist or you die.
