During the screening, the audience repeatedly applauded and rose to a standing ovation as the credits rolled.
The trio behind the film El-Set (The Lady) – actress Mona Zaki, director Marwan Hamed, and writer Ahmed Mourad – shared insights into its creation at a press conference moderated by critic Gamal El-Khenousi. They described how they reconstructed the world of Umm Kalthoum, one of the most influential figures in Arabic music.
Hamed said: “I am a great admirer of biographical films, and there is growing global interest in this genre. Our Arab world is full of figures whose stories deserve to be told, foremost among them Umm Kalthoum. Despite fifty years having passed since her death, her presence remains powerful—not only because of her brilliance, but because her life was marked by milestones that shaped an exceptional woman.”
The film traces Umm Kalthoum’s early years, when she performed disguised as a boy, and the rejection and danger she faced because of her gift. It also shows the immense sacrifices she made: renouncing love and the dream of family life so that her voice could be her message and the stage her true home. Even as illness took hold, she remained steadfast, transforming from an entertainer into a unifying voice for millions of Arabs during times of defeat—a voice that lives on in the region’s collective memory.
The filmmakers do not simply revisit well-known scenes; they reconstruct rare and evocative moments, including the incident when a fan attempted to attack her. In the film, this episode becomes a key lens through which to understand the aura that surrounded her and the extent of her public magnetism, which at times bordered on total identification.
The film also revisits the striking images of her historic funeral, when millions of Egyptians poured into the streets to bid her farewell. It highlights her patriotic role, particularly her wartime fundraising efforts, during which she dedicated her voice to supporting her country in moments of crisis.
These milestones—artistic, political, and deeply human—are presented through a visual language that blends historical accuracy with cinematic imagination, giving El-Set a contemporary resonance without sacrificing emotional depth. One of its most distinctive elements is the interplay of black and white with colour. Black and white is used not as a familiar archival nod but as a temporal threshold, guiding viewers into the depths of Umm Kalthoum’s memory and emotional world.
Hamed said the team chose to focus on the human dimension of her life, revealing aspects “we weren’t aware existed” and deliberately avoiding idealization. Black and white frames symbolize periods of hardship and conflict, contrasted with more luminous phases of her journey. “Our film is not a competitor to previous works about Umm Kalthoum,” he added, “but an attempt to present a new aspect of her life to current and future generations.”
Explaining the choice of Mona Zaki for the lead role, Hamed said she is “a very talented and influential actress with rare courage and the ability to transcend the screen and reach the hearts of the audience directly… the most capable of conveying the messages we seek to communicate.”
Zaki expressed her delight at the film’s screening in Marrakech, describing the festival as “one of the most important cinematic events in the Arab world.” She said: “This is the most difficult film I have ever worked on because we focused on the human aspect of Umm Kalthoum’s life, a side many people do not know.”
She explained that she prepared for the role for over a year, training with several coaches on voice and performance. The most emotionally demanding scenes for her were those depicting Umm Kalthoum’s final years, when loneliness and psychological strain began to affect her health. These moments, she said, required a delicate balance between spiritual expression and realistic portrayal.
Zaki added that her performance would not have been possible without her trust in the director’s vision and his attentiveness to every detail, especially as the script presented a side of Umm Kalthoum rarely shown: vulnerable, self-critical, lonely, and fearful—far removed from the idealized icon preserved by decades of popular memory.
Screenwriter Ahmed Mourad agreed, noting that the team aimed to “remove the veil of reverence usually cast upon Umm Kalthoum and approach her more directly.” He said the film balances her strength and glory with the more fragile moments of her life: “Every great figure carries a part of weakness… and these moments are what create the legend.”
Asked about the extent of artistic licence, Mourad noted that “no biography can be entirely true,” as it inevitably reflects the perspective of its creators.
El-Set is ultimately not a conventional biography but an artistic attempt to revive the memory of a woman who shaped generations with her voice, touched the Arab soul from the Atlantic to the Gulf, and left behind a legacy that continues to resonate.
Short link: