Aswan International Women Film Festival Unveils Poster for Its 9th Edition Honoring the Iconic Umm Kulthum

The Aswan International Women Film Festival has revealed the official poster for its 9th edition, taking place from May 2 to 7, 2025.
 

This year’s poster pays tribute to the legendary “Star of the East,” Umm Kulthum, commemorating 50 years since the passing of the most influential woman in the Middle East and Arab world over the past century.

 

Poster designer, artist Hisham Ali, explained that he aimed to create a design that captures the cinematic and artistic essence of Umm Kulthum, an unparalleled figure in the history of Arabic music.
 

The poster embraces a conceptual art style, blending various creative elements to highlight the central theme: celebrating Umm Kulthum through the lens of cinema.

“The centerpiece of the design is a winding black film strip, cleverly shaped to form the features of Umm Kulthum’s face,” Hisham revealed.

“This visual fusion between cinema and music symbolizes her timeless artistic influence. The flowing film strip suggests movement and continuity as if Umm Kulthum’s legacy remains alive and vibrant across generations—much like cinema itself, which carries creativity from the past into the present.”

Hisham Ali added, “For this poster, I used simple, abstract lines to depict her features—a style known as line art. This minimalist approach highlights the essential contours without overwhelming details, allowing viewers to focus on the harmony between the art of cinema and the power of music.”

A celebrated visual artist, Hisham Ali has designed posters for several international festivals, earning multiple global accolades for his work.

The 9th edition of the Aswan International Women Film Festival is held under the patronage of Egypt’s Ministries of Culture, Tourism, and Social Solidarity, along with the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, EgyptAir, the National Council for Women, the Syndicate of Cinematic Professions, Aswan Governorate, and Aswan University.