Zahret al-Sabar’ movie to participate in DIFF

CAIRO – 30 October 2017: “Zahret al-Sabar” (Cactus Flower), an Egyptian feature, will represent Egypt in the Muhr Feature competition at the 14th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival.


“Zahret al-Sabar” revolves around an Egyptian actress named Aida who has provincial roots and is struggling to make her way to the top. Aida suddenly finds herself kicked out of her house along with her old reclusive bourgeois neighbour Samiha.


Both have no money and nowhere to go, the two women were aided by a young guy they meet while roaming in the streets of Cairo named Yassin, and they start together a journey to find shelter. Their journey is full of tough moments and challenges just like thorns of a cactus, yet it is considered a self-discovery journey for all of them.


An extraordinary unplanned friendship grows between Aida, Samiha and Yassin like a dazzling flower blooming from a thorny cactus.

The movie is starring Menha al-Batraoui, Salma Samy and Marwan al-Azab, directed and written by Hala al-Khoussy.

Egyptian veteran author and scriptwriter Wahid Hamed will receive the Arab Lifetime Achievement Award during the 14th edition of the DIFF.


The festival, which will run from December 6 to 13, decided to honour Hamed’s accomplishments in screenwriting and his outstanding contributions to the filmmaking industry.