Despite her absence due to the illness of her mother actress Dalal Abdel Aziz and the death of her father actor Samir Ghanem, actress Donia Samir Ghanem was keen to record a video speech for the opening of the fifth session of the Aswan International Women Film Festival, which kicked off on Thursday evening.
Donia thanked in her speech the Aswan Festival, and apologized for not attending, stressing that the honor made her happy despite the circumstances she was going through.
She thanked all the attendees, saying she considers everyone who loved her father, and supported her and during her ordeal as a member of her family that she is proud of.
The festival’s opening ceremony was held in the presence of Culture Minister Enas Abdel Dayem, Governor of Aswan Ashraf Atteya, President of the National Council for Women Maya Morsy, Head of the European Union Delegation in Egypt Christian Berger, Head of the Tourism Promotion Authority Ahmed Youssef, and a large crowd of stars and filmmakers.
The opening ceremony was presented by Aya al-Ghariany, who had previously presented at the royal mummies ceremony. The theatrical direction of the ceremony was done by Hisham Atwa, and Abdel Rahman Nasr directed it.
The event’s opening was broadcasted live on the Nile Cinema channel.
During the ceremony, the festival administration honored Morsy and awarded her the Note Award for achievement in the field of women’s causes. The award was presented by member of the board of trustees of the festival Azza Kamel, who expressed her overwhelming happiness with this year’s festival, and the launch of the Note Forum. She praised Morsy for her great efforts, describing her as one of the pioneers of Egyptian society.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
