logo
Ashraf Abdel Baky & Daughter Zena Reunite in New Television Series

Ashraf Abdel Baky & Daughter Zena Reunite in New Television Series

CairoScene22-07-2025
The series will also feature Laila Ahmed Zaher, Entessar, Nabil Issa and Marwan El Moselmani.
Jul 22, 2025
Veteran actor Ashraf Abdel Baky joins forces once again with his daughter, Zena Abdel Baky, in 'Walad W Bent W Shayeb', a ten-part series that marks her television directorial debut.
Blending social comedy with suspense and a hint of mystery, the show takes an unexpected turn into the world of cryptocurrency, zooming in on the chaos and curiosity surrounding Bitcoin in contemporary society.
A Watch It original, the series is currently in production and set to premiere soon. It follows Zena's 2024 film 'Meen Yesadak', which also featured her dad and screened at the Cairo International Film Festival.
Joining the cast are Laila Ahmed Zaher, Entessar, Nabil Issa, Marwan El Moselmani, and Alaa Arafa.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

"Ma Tarah Les Kama Yabdo" Sets Premiere Date
"Ma Tarah Les Kama Yabdo" Sets Premiere Date

See - Sada Elbalad

time6 hours ago

  • See - Sada Elbalad

"Ma Tarah Les Kama Yabdo" Sets Premiere Date

Yara Sameh The premiere date for the star-studded TV series 'Ma Tarah Les Kama Yabdo' has been unveiled. The drama is set to debut simultaneously on Saturday, August 9, on the "DMC" satellite TV Channel and the "Watch IT" and "Shahid" streaming platforms. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kmedia (@productionkmedia) 'Ma Tarah Les Kama Yabdo' consists of 35 episodes, each divided into seven stories that are presented in 5 episodes and highlight different combinations of social, suspense, and humanitarian themes. The stories feature different casts and creative teams to offer visual and dramatic diversity within a single production that caters to the diverse tastes of the audience. The series also boasts a large group of talented actors that includes Mariem El Gendy, Ahmed Khaled Saleh, Hanady Mehanna, Shery Adel, Ahmed Gamal Said, Youssef Osman, Hazem Ehab, Hager El Sharnouby, and Laila Ahmed Zaher. 'Ma Tarah Les Kama Yabdo" is a unique and distinctive drama experience in development by producer Karim Abu Zekry's K Media and United Media Services. The show's creators are keen to deliver distinctive content in both form and content, in line with the development of the modern drama industry in Egypt. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results

Acting brilliant - Culture - Al-Ahram Weekly
Acting brilliant - Culture - Al-Ahram Weekly

Al-Ahram Weekly

time2 days ago

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

Acting brilliant - Culture - Al-Ahram Weekly

A month ago, I excitedly started to follow the recent Watch It release Faat Al-Maad (Too Late), with a powerful kick off starring Ahmed Magdi and Asmaa Abul-Yazid. During the last few episodes of Faat Al-Maad, which aired five days a week, I started watching another production, released on Netflix: Catalogue, starring Mohamed Farrag and Reham Abdel-Ghaffour. The latter production is true to form: like almost every Egyptian series on Netflix, it is set in upscale homes with extravagant décor, full of self care, personal growth, and sleek cars. Though it was based on Aayza Atgawez (I Want to Get Married, 2010), director Rami Imam's unpretentious and realistic comedy series based on Ghada Abdel-Aal's bestseller, the Netflix hit Finding Ola (2022) raised questions about the absence of financial considerations for Ola (played by Hind Sabri) as she embarks on her journey of self-discovery after her divorce, a situation that persists in the second, 2024 season. Produced by the Egypt-based Watch It platform, by contrast, Faat Al-Maad (Too Late) features simpler decor and dialogue delivered by characters who are more spontaneous and closer to the hearts of the Egyptian audience and daily life in Egypt. But what makes Faat Al-Maad (Too Late) unique is not so much its topic —a divorce lawsuit — but the extraordinary performance of the characters led by director Saad Hindawi and the exceptional dialogue written in the course of a workshop headed by Mohamed Farid, which includes Nasser Abdel-Hamid, Islam Adham and Atef Nashed. The plot traces an ordinary couple from a modest background, Basma and Mosaad (Asmaa Abul-Yazid and Ahmed Magdi) facing marital problems due to Mosaad's abusive behaviour, striking his wife when angry only to apologise and promise he won't do it again. They live in a family house where Mosaad's mother Abla (Salwa Mohamed Ali) occupies the ground floor, leaving her apartment door open so she can keep an eye on who is coming and going and control Mosaad and his brother Moneim (Mohamed Ali Rizk) and their families. Abla's married daughter Wafaa (Nesma Bahei) provides Abla with money, from her own husband. Abla is filing for divorce after she collects enough money for an apartment outside the family house. With great difficulty Abla succeeds, aided and supported by her father Mahmoud (Mahmoud Al-Bezzawi), but the process is explored in minute detail, including such issues as how Abla retrieves the furniture that she owns by law and how, once she marries the owner of the print press where she works, Motassem (Ahmed Safwat), she loses custody of her daughter Reem, luckily to her mother, meaning that her daughter can stay with her for now. All these legal details regarding the journey of divorce when the man decides to give his ex-wife a hard time are well-known to Egyptians, but the way exceptional acting performances bring them to light is remarkable. Ahmed Magdi, for one, is clearly rediscovering his talent, Ahmed Safwat masters his tone of voice and facial expressions very powerfully too, to mention but two examples. Aziz Al-Shafei's beautiful score adds to the intensity. The series opens at a sturdy pace and gripping action with the complexity of Mosaad's character unfolding over the first ten episodes. But this buildup eventually flattens with an absurd finale showing the transformation of Mosaad from an unstable to a reasonable man after Reem goes missing in Alexandria when he attempts to kidnap her is unconvincing, even though the screenplay is filled with opportunities for making such a transformation plausible. What the screenplay does beautifully is to create powerful subplots that add to the main plot... As for Catalogue, directed by Walid Al-Halafawi and with a screenplay by Ayman Wattar, it is basically an imitation of a British Netflix series named After Life, written and directed by Ricky Gervais, with some slight alterations. In After Life, the protagonist Tony loses his wife after a battle with cancer and lives alone with his dog, watching videos of his wife giving him advice on how to face life after her passing. In Catalogue, the mix of tragedy and comedy focuses on Youssef (Mohamed Farrag) who suddenly loses his wife Amina (Reham Abdel-Ghaffour) and finds himself alone facing the responsibility of his children Karima and Mansour (Rital Abdel-Aziz and Ali Al-Beialy). Youssef's life is turned upside down when he realises that everyone around him like his own brother Hanafi (Khaled Kamal) and his brother-in-law Osama (Ahmed Essam Al-Sayed) knows his children better than he does: what they are allergic to, what they like and what they don't like, and even their agoraphobic neighbour George (Bayoumi Fouad). Youssef himself doesn't know. Youssef also discovers his late wife's YouTube channel which he knows about but has never seen. These are parenting videos that double as a manual for how to manage his kids. Still, paying attention to his children negatively affects his company and accordingly he hires a nanny, Omm Hashem (played by Samah Anwar) to take care of them... The dialogue is inadequate especially when it comes to Omm Hashem, who sometimes makes hollow and forced philosophical statements intended to be convincing while she and Youssef are having coffee together in the morning. Intriguingly — a common feature of Egyptian drama on Netflix — Karima is seen informing her father that she got her period. While something like this could have been addressed in a more innovative way, it feels forced and clichéd. The only saving grace here is the acting. * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

Styled Archives: When MENA Celebrities Rocked Lace
Styled Archives: When MENA Celebrities Rocked Lace

CairoScene

time24-07-2025

  • CairoScene

Styled Archives: When MENA Celebrities Rocked Lace

Whether draped, sheer, or sculpted, lace became something sharper in these moments. A look back at how MENA icons made it anything but traditional. Jul 24, 2025 In 2001, Fairuz performed in Kuwait City wearing a black lace gown, backed by a 48-piece orchestra. The look was spare and exacting. A year later, Samira Said opened the Dubai Shopping Festival in a lace-trimmed top and low-slung trousers, styled for early-2000s stage glamour. At her 2003 concert in Cairo, Haifa Wehbe wore sheer black lace, a jewel-studded belt, and smoky eyes. In 2004, Elissa performed in Kuwait City in white lace layered over a scarlet slip. Nancy Ajram's 2006 Muscat Festival look featured a flared lace skirt designed for movement. On the red carpet, lace remained precise. Lebleba wore it with shoulder bows at DIFF in 2008. In 2012, Najwa Karam appeared at Cannes in a white mermaid-cut lace gown. At CIFF in 2016, Elham Shahin wore black lace with sheer sleeves and a flowing skirt. In 2017, Laila Elwi paired velvet with a lace panelled skirt. Rym Saidi wore a hooded black lace cape to the 2023 Red Sea Film Festival. In 2024, Nelly Karim appeared at the Discobolo Awards in a lace corset, tailored trousers, and a long black coat. These moments offer a cross-section of how lace has moved through stages and red carpets across the region - one fabric, countless statements. Fairuz | Kuwait City Concert (2001) Performing with a 48-piece orchestra, Fairuz wore a black lace gown that matched the gravity of her voice; elegant and commanding. Samira Said | Dubai Shopping Festival (2002) On stage in a lace top, Samira Said made delicate look commanding. It was early 2000s glamour with just enough edge to match the vocals. Haifa Wehbe | Cairo Concert (2003) Serving goth glam before it was cool, Haifa hit the stage in black lace, smoky eyes, and a jewel-studded belt that cinched the whole look. Elissa | Eid Concert, Kuwait City (2004) White lace over a scarlet slip, Elissa turned contrast into a statement. Soft, striking, and just a little impossible to look away from. Nancy Ajram | Muscat Festival (2006) Nancy kept it sweet with a playful twist, letting lace take over from the waist down. Flirty, fun, and made to move with every beat. Lebleba | Dubai International Film Festival (2008) Softened by shoulder bows and framed in lace, Lebleba's look was equal parts sweet and striking. A red carpet moment with old-school charm. Najwa Karam | "Vous N'avez Encore Rien Vu" Premiere (2012) Wrapped in white lace and cut to a mermaid silhouette, Najwa Karam brought a Levantine flair to the Cannes red carpet with a look that was all poise and presence. Elham Shahin | Cairo International Film Festival (2016) Lace traced the sleeves, cut through the bodice, and flowed into a sheer skirt below. Elham Shahin's 2016 look played with coverage and contrast, turning classic black lace into something confidently bold. Laila Elwi | Cairo International Film Festival (2017) Laila Elwi took the red carpet in a velvet and lace gown that did elegance without effort. A sheer panel down the skirt gave the look movement, while the sculpted bodice kept it sharp and statuesque. Rym Saidi | Red Sea International Film Festival (2023) Rym Saidi walked in draped in sheer black lace, hooded cape and all. Somewhere between haute couture and witchcraft. Nelly Karim | Discobolo Award, Rome (2024) Lace corset, long black coat, and tailored pants. Nelly Karim showed up like a fashion noir heroine. Cool, controlled, and fully in charge.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store