Hind Rostom’s 87th Birthday

Google Dooles 11.11.2018 21:11  Date: November 12, 2018 Hailed as “The First Lady of Egyptian Cinema,” Hind Rostom starred in over 80 films, first as a non-speaking extra in 1949 and breaking through in 1955 with a standout performance in Hassan Al-Imam’s Banat el Lail . Throughout her career she portrayed strong, outspoken female characters alongside legendary actors like Farid Shawqi and Omar Sharif, defying stereotypical gender norms. Born in Alexandria on this day in 1929 to a Turkish father and an Egyptian mother, Hind Rostom played the lead role in seventeen films in just two years—always portraying witty and independent-minded women. But it was her role as an irrepressible lemonade vendor in Youssef Chahine’s 1958 Bab al-Hadid that gave humanity to people at the margins of society and cemented her reputation as a great actor. Her work on the big screen won her numerous awards including a special mention at the 1957 Venice Film Festival, Best Actress in 1975 from the Association of Egyptian Cinema Writers and Critics, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arab World Institute in Paris. Rostom retired in 1979 while still at the peak of her creative powers, and refused all attempts to coax her back into the spotlight. She was even offered the opportunity to adapt her life story into a dramatic series. “My life is not for sale,” she said. Her work, however, lives on. Happy Birthday, Hind Rostom! Location: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Tags: