Menna Shalabi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Menna Shalaby
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Mennah Hesham Shalaby
July 24, 1982 |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Citizenship |  Egypt |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Menna Shalaby (Egyptian Arabic: منة شلبي; born July 24, 1982) is a famous Egyptian actress. She has starred in many movies and TV shows. She was even nominated for an International Emmy Award for her role in the TV series Every Week Has a Friday. This made her the first Egyptian to get such a nomination!
Contents
Early Life and First Steps
Menna Shalaby was born in Giza, Egypt. She comes from a family that loves art. Her mother, Zizi Mustafa, is also an actress. Her aunt, Poussy Shalabi, is a well-known media person.
Menna started acting in 2000. The famous actress Samiha Ayoub helped her get her first role in the series Salma Ya Salama. Before that, Menna appeared in TV shows and children's puzzles. She even had a very small part in the 1999 movie El-Asifa.
A Career in Movies and TV
Menna Shalaby's acting journey truly began in 2001. She got a role in the TV show Morning and Evening Talk. This show was based on a story by Naguib Mahfouz, who won a Nobel Prize. It was a very popular TV drama at the time.
Her first movie role was in The Magician (2001) with Mahmoud Abdel Aziz. After that, she starred in other popular films like I Love Cinema (2004) and Best of Times (2004).
Big Roles and Festivals
In 2007, Menna starred in Chaos, This Is, a movie by the famous director Youssef Chahine. This film was shown at big events like the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.
She also played a main role in Microphone (2010). This movie won the Best Arabic-language film Award at the Cairo International Film Festival.
Menna worked with director Yousry Nasrallah on two movies:
- After the Battle (2012): This movie was special because it brought Egyptian cinema back to the Cannes Film Festival after 15 years!
- Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces (2016): This film first showed at the Locarno Film Festival.
Award-Winning Performances
One of Menna's most important roles was in Nawara (2015), directed by Hala Khalil. For this movie, she won an amazing 10 awards for Best Actress!
Later, she starred in director Marwan Hamed's movies:
- The Originals (2017)
- Diamond Dust (2018): This movie was a huge success at the box office.
Menna also supports new filmmakers. She took the main role in the short film Fork and Knife (2018). This film was part of a competition at the El Gouna Film Festival.
Her other movies include Scarecrow (2019), where she worked again with Ahmed Helmy. They had last worked together in Sorry to Disturb (2008).
Menna has also had many successful TV roles, such as:
- Friendly Fire (2013)
- Jewish Quarter (2015)
- Sunset Oasis (2017)
Besides acting, Menna helps with charity work. She supports people with disabilities and tries to make others aware of the challenges they face in Egypt.
Awards and Recognition
Menna Shalaby has won many awards from film festivals in Egypt and around the world.
Some of her awards include:
- The Faten Hamama Excellence Award at the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF).
- Best Actress Award at the Egyptian National Film Festival for The Magician (2001) and An El Eshq Wel Hawaa (2006).
- Awards from the Arabian Cinema Awards (ACA) and the Arab Star Festival for Diamond Dust (2018).
- Awards from the Dubai, Tetouan, Oran, and Cairo Film Society festivals for her role in Nawara (2015).
- A Special Award at the Damascus International Film Festival for Downtown Girls (2005).
People have also voted her 'Best Actress' in many surveys by Arab and Egyptian newspapers and radio stations. She has been honored at the Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival in Morocco. She also received an Honorary Award at the Aswan International Women's Film Festival (AIWFF) in 2019 for her amazing career.
For her TV roles, she won the Critic's Award for Best Actress at the Arab Satellite Channels Festival for Sunset Oasis (2017).
Menna Shalaby has also been a judge at important film festivals. These include the Cairo International Film Festival, the Carthage Film Festival, the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden, and the El Gouna Film Festival.
She made history as the first Arab Egyptian to be nominated for an Emmy Awards.
Personal Life
Menna Shalaby is single. She practices the Islamic faith.
Selected Filmography
Films
- 2001: El Saher (The Magician)
- 2003: Iw'a Wishshak (Watch Your Face)
- 2003: Film Hindi (An Indian Movie)
- 2003: Kallem mama (Call Mama)
- 2004: Enta Omry (My Soul Mate)
- 2004: Ahla Wl Awkat (The Best of Times)
- 2004: Shabab Takeaway (Takaway Guys)
- 2004: Baheb El Cima (I Love Cinema)
- 2005: El-Haya Montaha El-lazza (Joys of Life)
- 2005: Fi Mahatet Masr (At Cairo Station)
- 2005: Abo El Arabi Wasal (Abo El Arabi is Here)
- 2005: Ahlam Omrena (Dreams of Our Lives)
- 2005: Banat West Albalad (Downtown Girls)
- 2006: An El Eshq Wel Hawa (All About Love)
- 2006: Ouija
- 2007: Alawela fel Gharam (First in Love)
- 2007: Heya Fawda (Chaos, This Is)
- 2007: Keda Reda (Satisfied Like This)
- 2007: Wahed Mn El Nas (One of the People)
- 2008: Asef Ala Al Izaag (Sorry to Disturb)
- 2009: Badal Faqed (The Replacement)
- 2010: Microphone
- 2010: Nour Einy (The Light of My Eyes)
- 2011: Ezaet Hob (Love Station)
- 2011: Bibo and Beshir
- 2012: Baad El Mawkeaa (After The Battle)
- 2015: Nawara
- 2016: Al Ma' wal Khodra wal Wajh al Hassan (Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces)
- 2017: Al Asleyeen (The Originals)
- 2018: Shouka Wa Sekina (Fork & Knife)
- 2018: Torab El Mas (Diamond Dust)
- 2019: Khayal Maata (Scarecrow)
- 2021: Al'iins w Alnams (The Mongoose and The Human)
- 2022: El Gareema (The Crime)
- 2022: Men Agl Zizo ( For Ziko )
- 2024: El Hawa Sultan (Love Reigns Supreme)
See also
- Cinema of Egypt
