Endlessly inspired by Egypt's past and present, Marwan Hamed blends the rigor of a documentarian with the imagination of a bold, inquisitive filmmaker, continually raising the bar for Arab cinema. At FIFM 2025, the world premiere of his new feature film, El Sett, unveils a captivating biopic of Oum Kalthoum, portrayed in a way she has never been seen on screen before. In 2024, Egyptian director Marwan Hamed took part in the Marrakech International Film Festival through the Atlas Workshops industry program, where he presented excerpts from his upcoming feature film. A year later, he returned triumphantly to FIFM 2025 (November 28–December 6) with the completed work, one that promises to leave a defining mark on contemporary Arab cinema: «El Sett». He chose Marrakech, the city where he unveiled its earliest phases, as the place for its world premiere. Revealed on Wednesday, El Sett is a captivating, rigorously documented biopic on Arab music icon Oum Kalthoum. After a year and a half of research, a cast of Egypt's most accomplished actors, long months of filming, and a budget of eight million dollars, Marwan Hamed delivers his most accomplished fiction to date. With meticulous aesthetics, he reconstructs reality on his own terms, enriches imagination, and reiterates that every biography comes with its own share of interpretation, without compromising certain fundamental truths. The truth he highlights about Oum Kalthoum, masterfully portrayed by Mona Zaki, is that the Egyptian singer was adored for who she was on stage, yet little attention was paid to the woman she was away from the spotlight, from the grand concert halls and international tours. The film opens with her legendary performance at L'Olympia, a pivotal point in time and place. A Tenacious Yet Vulnerable Artist From there, Hamed navigates through the many layers of her life. Through black-and-white and color sequences, close-ups, static frames, and handheld shots, we discover the peasant girl supported by her father, disguised as a boy to be allowed to sing on village stages; the decisive encounters that launched her career; her unwavering determination to carve out a place in the artistic world; and her historic role as founder, and first female president, of the Egyptian Musicians' Syndicate. We also witness a woman who is at times fragile, uncertain, assertive, anxious, or profoundly alone, by choice or circumstance, devoted entirely to her music, performing at her peak or persevering through deteriorating health. Her trajectory unfolds alongside Egypt's shifting political landscape: the end of the British Protectorate, the 1952 revolution and fall of the monarchy, the rise of Gamal Abdel Nasser, and the 1967 Six-Day War, after which Egypt lost Sinai. Deeply attached to her country's symbols, she drew strength to rally her orchestra, sell records, and embark on extensive tours. She donated the proceeds of her concerts to the Egyptian army, an act Hamed wanted the film's title, «El Sett», to embody. Mona Zaki as Oum Kalthoum «This is not about idolizing a historic figure or highlighting certain traits over others. The aim is to show, with nuance, that this great star was first and foremost a woman, a sett, from a very modest background. She fought her demons, rose after each setback, and was ahead of her time, yet also profoundly human, with moments of strength and weakness», Marwan Hamed explained. To convey this complexity, Hamed chose Mona Zaki, entrusting her with the task of reconstructing the fragments of Oum Kalthoum's personality. Speaking to Yabiladi, the actress said she had to start by «piecing together an incomplete puzzle». «Few people from Oum Kalthoum's inner circle are still alive. The script was my main guide. There is very little audiovisual material showing her off stage. In interviews, she was extremely shy. Much of the performance required personal work. As I imagined the script, I grew attached to her, once I understood her vulnerability. I then tried to embody all that», Mona Zaki shared. Mona Zaki at FIFM 2025 The Cinematic Rise of Marwan Hamed Since The Yacoubian Building in 2006, Marwan Hamed's career has been in constant ascent. That debut film set the tone for a cinema rooted in the social and political transformations shaping Egyptian public life. From the adaptation of Alaa Al-Aswany's novel, depicting Egypt's turmoil at the end of King Farouk's reign, the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and entrenched corruption, to Kira We El Gin in 2022, exploring the clandestine Egyptian resistance of 1919, Hamed has developed a cinematic language that revisits national history through research-driven storytelling and refined visual composition. With El Sett, this artistic evolution reaches a new height. The film enriches the regional biopic genre, portraying both the triumphs and inner struggles of Oum Kalthoum. By turning the creative process into an act of self-surpassing, Marwan Hamed delivers a poetic, accessible work, one that speaks to nostalgic admirers of the golden age of music as well as to new generations discovering the diva through cinema. Article modifié le 04/12/2025 à 09h46
