The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) chose Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry in its annual list of the 100 most influential women in the world for 2024.
The corporation described Sabry as one of the most famous stars in Arab cinema ever since her early start in the movie “The Silences of the Palace” in 1994, addressing the sexual oppression that Tunisian women were exposed to at the time.
The BBC also described her as the first Arab woman to judge the Venice International Film Festival in 2019.
Sabry resigned from the United Nations World Food Program in protest against the use of starvation as a weapon against the Palestinian people.
Thriving in Egyptian cinema, Sabry starred in “Mozakrat Morahka” (The Diaries of a Teenager) alongside Egyptian actor Ahmed Ezz, directed by Inas al-Digheidy. Across her various roles in films such as “The Yacoubian building” (2006) and “Banat wist al-Balad” (2005), Sabry shone light on the pressures and issues that Arab women face, with one acclaimed example being her role in “Asmaa” (2011).
Sabry has earned several prestigious awards, such as the “Best Arabian Cinema Actor” award in 2012 in Murex D’or, the “Faten Hamama Excellence Award” from the 2017 Cairo International Film Festival, amongst others.
The BBC concluded its speech about Sabry by quoting her words, saying: “It is not just about survival, but about rebuilding and finding purpose through struggle, and turning pain into action.”
