Cairo International Film Festival to grant Mona Zaki Faten Hamama Award of Excellence

CAIRO - 13 October 2020: Cairo International Film Festival will grant the Egyptian heartthrob Mona Zaki the prestigious Faten Hamama Award of Excellence during the 42nd edition’s opening ceremony in recognition of her outstanding career.

"Mona Zaki is the quintessential star of her generation.  Through her work she has become a role model setting a great example of success for women working in Egyptian cinema," said Mohamed Hefzy, the Festival’s President. 

He also added, “With her daring and intelligent career choices, she has been able to achieve the difficult balance of both critical and commercial success. She always knows when to say no, and therefore she retains her glamour and stardom in addition to the respect and appreciation of the public even if she is absent for some time. Cairo International Film Festival is happy to award her the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence at the opening ceremony of the 42nd edition”. 

On the other hand, Mona Zaki said that her choice to be honored with a great award bearing the name of the great artist Faten Hamama from the prestigious Cairo International Film Festival makes her feel proud, content, grateful and thankful for every effort she has made in her career,  and for every colleague, director, writer and worker in this profession; they were the reason for this moment to happen and it will never be forgotten. 

Mona Zaki continues: "I will always be proud of my belonging to Egyptian cinema, and I hope that I have contributed even if just a small part to support this important industry. I promise the public that I will continue to do my best to work hard and help Egyptian cinema reach a level that is impactful not just locally but also beyond our borders.” 

Multiple award-winning superstar Mona Zaki started her career early. 

She played her first role with the prominent actor and director Mohamed Sobhy in “Bel Arabi El-Faseeh” play.

Zaki’s career has featured many success roles that proved her wide range of talents. 

Her flair in acting, singing, dancing and voiceover, along with her natural charm, make her perfect for any role she plays.  

Mona has played many popular and iconic roles that were well received by critics.

Starting from her romantic comedy roles this list includes; “Seidy fe Gamea Amrekiya”,, “Africano”, “Taymour w Shafika”, and “Abu Ali”. To all her dramatic roles in “Edhak El Soora Ttetla’a Helwa”, “Sahar El Layaly” “Aswar el Qamar”, “Welad el Aam”, “An El Eshq W El Hawa” and “Dam El Ghazal”. 

Throughout her career, Mona has worked with all the top Egyptian actors and directors. She stood in front of the Egyptian legend Ahmed Zaki in “Ayam El Saddat”, where she played the historical role of former First Lady Gihan Al-Sadat. 

In Addition to her significant role as a lead actress in “Ehky Ya Schehrazade”, where she bravely tackled important women’s issues on silver screen with the iconic director Yousry Nasrallah, bringing the very sensitive cause of domestic violence to the attention of many. 

Mona proved that her diverse talents, dedication, and diversity makes her perfect for any role.  

Among Mona’s iconic roles is the one she played in “Cinderella”, where she embodied the legend “Soad Hosny”. 

Moreover, she mastered her role in “Afrah Al Qobba” series where she played a complex character of a kind and sweet femme fatale. 

Last but not least, she won an award for her role in “Dam El Ghazal”, where she perfectly portrayed the character of a young underprivileged neighbourhood sweetheart living amidst political turmoil and terrorism.  

Aside from her acting career, Zaki is a UNICEF ambassador who has contributed immensely to raising awareness on many national charity and advocacy campaigns, many child related topics, including child labor, malnutrition, poverty, the effects of violence on children and FGM. 

Zaki also takes part in many charity initiatives, the latest of which being a public calling for celebrities to sponsor the families most affected by the COVID-19 health crisis. 

Mona is married to one of Egypt’s most popular actors, who is the superstar Ahmed Helmy .

Helmy and Zaki have three children who are Lilly,Selim and Younis.