'Aisha' short film sheds light on stigma surrounding divorcees in Egypt

CAIRO – 7 October 2019: With the rate of divorce is steadily rising in Egypt, the stigma surrounding divorcees never declined.

Several articles and social media posts challenged the social stigma, trying to reverse the public conceptions of divorced women in particular, and shed light on the psychological harm and bullying women face for taking the decision to end their marriages.


Screenshots of Aisha short film - Photo provided by Kawthar Ali

Four youths decided to provide a close-up on the dilemma in a short film to participate in the Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film.

The film, titled “Aisha” meaning [Just living], was inspired by the real life of the actress, Maleeka, who tells her stories with harassment and awkward situations at work, or with her neighbors and family following her divorce. Like many female divorcees, Maleeka is rendered the main breadwinner for her children, as some men decide to evade the responsibility.

The crew of the film includes: Director Shaher Youssef , assistant director Mohamed Ismail, director of photography Kawthar Ali, and Maleeka Mohamed, the sole actress in the film.

The film will be submitted to the jury of the festival on Thursday, Oct.10 to compete for the prestigious award.