Hend Sabry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hend Sabry
هند صبري
Sabry on the cover of Tunivisions, June 2011
Born	1979 (age 45–46) Kebili, Tunisia
Citizenship	Egypt  Tunisia
Occupation	Actress • model
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Egyptian cinema
Spouse(s)	Ahmad el Sherif

Hend Sabry (Arabic: هند صبري, born in 1979) is a talented actress and producer from both Tunisia and Egypt. She is widely recognized for her work in Egyptian films.

Early Life and Education

Hend Sabry was born in 1979 in Kebili, Tunisia.

She studied law and earned a master’s degree in intellectual property and copyright law in 2004. This means she learned about the rules that protect creative works like movies and music.

A Look at Her Career

Starting in the 1990s and 2000s

Hend Sabry began her acting journey in 1994 when she was just 14 years old. Her first role was in the film The Silences of the Palace. This Tunisian movie won many awards, including the Cannes Film Festival’s Caméra d'Or. Hend also won the Best Actress award at the Carthage Film Festival for her role. This film is considered a very important movie in Arab cinema history.

After her first film, Hend took a break to focus on her studies. She returned to acting in 2000 in another film called The Season of Men. This movie explored traditional behaviors that many Tunisian women faced.

In 2001, Hend received her law degree. She then appeared in her first Egyptian film, Diary Of A Teenager. This film was a big step for her in Egypt.

In the early 2000s, Hend balanced her studies with her acting career. She realized how important intellectual property was for the film industry. So, she earned her master’s degree in intellectual property and copyright law in 2004.

In 2002, Hend starred in the Egyptian comedy-drama A Citizen, A Detective And A Thief. This film was very popular and a big success in Egypt. Her first major blockbuster film was in 2006, called The Yacoubian Building. It was the most expensive Egyptian film at the time and broke records for its opening. This film was the first of many projects Hend did with director Marwan Hamad.

Hend also loves short films. In 2006, she appeared in an independent short film called Rise and Shine. This film won many awards, including one at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2009, she worked with Marwan Hamad again in the drama Ibrahim Labyad, starring alongside famous Egyptian actor Ahmed El-Sakka.

Her Work in the 2010s

Hend Sabry often chooses roles that have a social message. In 2010, she starred in the comedy series I Want to Get Married. This show was based on a popular blog and book. It humorously looked at the pressure Egyptian women feel to marry young. The series was a huge hit across the Middle East and North Africa, making Hend a regional star.

In 2011, Hend appeared in the film Asmaa. This movie aimed to raise awareness about AIDS in Egypt. It was highly praised and won several awards. Hend also won the 2012 Murex d'Or Award for Best Arabian Actress for her role.

In 2013, Arabian Business recognized her as one of the "100 most powerful Arab Women." She also became a partner in Tayarah, a big platform for video content in Egypt. In 2015, she started her own production company in Cairo, called Salam Production.

The Tunisian film The Flower Of Aleppo (2016) was the first movie produced by Salam Production. Hend played a mother trying to rescue her teenage son. That same year, she appeared in the drama series Life is Beautiful. In 2017, the Cairo International Film Festival honored her with the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence.

In 2019, Hend starred in two very different films. One was The Blue Elephant 2, an Egyptian horror film that became the highest-earning film in Egyptian history. The other was Noura's Dream, a smaller Tunisian film where she played a working-class mother. For this role, she won the Golden Tanit award and the Best Actress Award at the Carthage Film Festival. Hend enjoys working in Tunisia because it's a smaller industry where the focus is truly on acting.

In 2019, Hend Sabry became the first Arab woman to receive the Starlight Cinema Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Recent Projects in the 2020s

In 2020, Netflix announced a partnership with Hend Sabry to create Finding Ola. This series was a new version of her 2010 hit I Want to Get Married. For the first time, Hend also worked as an executive producer for the show. The series was released in February 2022 and quickly became a top show worldwide on Netflix.

In 2022, Hend worked with director Marwan Hamad for the fourth time on the blockbuster film Kira and El Gin. This film was set during the Egyptian independence movement of the 1920s. It was a huge success and broke box office records.

In 2023, Hend starred in the documentary Four Daughters. Hend was one of the actresses who helped re-enact important scenes in the film. This movie received many awards at Cannes 2023 and was considered for the Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Oscars.

In 2024, Hend took on the main role of Amira in Moftaraq Toroq (Crossroads). This was an Arabic version of the popular American series The Good Wife. It became very popular in the Middle East and North Africa. Later in 2024, she returned for season two of Finding Ola, again as an executive producer.

Also in 2024, Hend appeared in Aserb: The Squadron, an Egyptian action film based on real historical events involving Egyptian military operations.

Hend Sabry signed with the talent agency CAA in 2023. She wants to find more acting roles and also support more projects led by women through her Salam Production company. Hend has often spoken about the challenges women face in the Arab film industry, including lower pay and fewer roles compared to men.

In April 2025, Hend Sabry signed with MAD Celebrity, a talent management agency, to represent her in North Africa and the Middle East.

Helping Others

In 2010, Hend Sabry was named a goodwill ambassador for the UN World Food Programme (WFP). This means she helped raise awareness about hunger. In November 2023, she stepped down from this role.

Personal Life

Hend Sabry was once engaged to Syrian actor Bassel Khaiat. In 2008, she married Egyptian businessman Ahmad el Sherif. They have two daughters together.

Hend holds dual citizenship, meaning she is a citizen of both her home country, Tunisia, and her country of residence, Egypt.

Filmography

Films

Television Series

Awards and Honors

Industry Awards

• 1994: Best Actress Award, Carthage Film Festival for The Silences of the Palace
• 2002: Best Actress Award, Namur International Francophone Film Festival, for Poupées d'argile
• 2019: Best Actress Award, Carthage Film Festival for Noura's Dream
• 2019: Best Actress Award, El Gouna Film Festival for Noura's Dream
• 2020: Best Actress Award, Annual Critics Awards for Arab Films at the Cannes Film Festival for Noura's Dream

Other Recognitions

• 2021: Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (France)
• 2024: BBC's 100 Women list

See also

In Spanish: Hend Sabry para niños