Late actress Karima Mokhtar to be honored at festival

CAIRO – 8 November 2017: Renowned late actress Karima Mokhtar will be honored at the 16th edition of Theater Festival for Amateurs that will be launched at the Culture Theater of Giza and will run between November 11 and November 16.

Organized by the General Organization of Cultural Palaces (GOCP), the festival will feature the participation of six theater crews from the governorates of Fayoum, Dakahlia, Damietta, Port Said, Assiut, and Luxor, according to a statement by GOCP.

Presided over by author Hussein Sabra, the Theater Festival for Amateurs will include an entertainment performance in the opening and will conclude with an operetta “Hekaya Gamila” (Beautiful Tale) that is directed by Amr Qabil.

Originally named Attiat, Mokhtar acquired an acting career of over 50 years and has begun her career as a radio presenter; unable to pursue a career in cinema due to her family’s disapproval until she married actor and director Nour El Demerdash who encouraged her to become an actress.

A protagonist in many films and TV series through the past decades, Mokhtar often played the role of the mother due to her motherly features which became the hallmark features of the traditional Egyptian mother.

She participated in several Egyptian films including “El Hafeed” (The Grandson), “Ragel Fakad Akloh” (A Man Who Lost his Mind), “El Farah” (The Wedding), and her last film “Sa’aa w Nos” (Hour and Half). Some of her TV series included “Yetrba f Ezo” (May He Be Raised in His Blessings) and the drama “Zohra w Azwgha El Khamsa” (Zohra and Her Five Husbands).