Aida El-Kashef

Aida El-Kashef
Born1988 (age 35–36)
Cairo, Egypt
Occupation(s)Independent filmmaker, journalist,[1] actress

Aida El-Kashef is a feminist[2] Egyptian filmmaker and actress. Her acting credits include Ship of Theseus and Walad w Bent. She has also directed the short films A Tin Tale and Rhapsody in Autumn.[3]

El-Kashef was involved in the protests at Tahrir Square, where she filmed the events of the Arab Spring as they unfolded. She was one of the first protestors to occupy Tahrir[4] where she set up a tent.[5] She also documented "aggressive assaults against women" that occurred during the protests[3] often risking her own personal safety.[6] El-Kashef's films of men sexually assaulting women were shown worldwide and El-Kashef and her friends vowed to fight back, carrying electric prods and knives as protection.[7] She was arrested and detained for her participation in the No Military Trials for Civilians protest.[2] El-Kashef missed the promotion of Ship of Theseus in India while she was protesting.[8] Another aspect of the protests was her involvement in filming the grief of family members who raided the Zeinhom Morgue in Cairo to see their loved ones one last time.[9]

In 2014, El-Kashef received a grant for Ward No 3 from SANAD, which is the development and post-production fund for the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.[10]

Also in 2014, El-Kashef won best supporting actress from the Indian National Film Awards for her role in Ship of Theseus.[11] She also won Best Actress for the Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature category at the Dubai International Film Festival for her role in Ship of Theseus in 2012.[12]

In November, 2015, El-Kashef began crowdfunding the partial costs of producing her first full-length documentary, a film tackling the subject of domestic abuse in Egypt. In The Day I Ate The Fish, Aida documents several marriages where a woman murdered her spouse.[13][14]

  1. ^ Jenkins, Mark (24 October 2013). "'The Square': Egypt In Crisis, And Its People In Focus". No. Movie Review. NPR. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b Salem, Mostafa; Ashraf, Fady; Gulhane, Joel (26 November 2013). "NoMilTrials Protest Dispersed; Prominent Activists Detained". Daily News Egypt. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b Devi Dundoo, Sangeetha (19 July 2013). "'It's our revolution too'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  4. ^ Scott, A.O. (24 October 2013). "Brave Optimism of Tahrir Square Meets Other Fierce Forces". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  5. ^ Gohar, Anicee (19 February 2014). "Egypt — Looking for a Conscience". Inter Press Service. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  6. ^ Mullender, Rosie (12 June 2013). "The Female Fightback". Cosmopolitan. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  7. ^ Ward, Clarissa (27 March 2013). "Egyptian Women Fight Back as Sexual Assaults Skyrocket". CBS Evening News. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Egyptian-Based Actress Aida El Kashef to Visit India for Ship of Theseus". Indiaglitz. 13 July 2013. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  9. ^ Fathi, Yasmine (2 September 2013). "Guardians of the Betrayed Dead: Inside Cairo's Zeinhom Morgue". Ahram Online. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Shawky's 'Yommedine' and El-Kashef's 'Ward No 3' Win SANAD Grants". Ahram Online. 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  11. ^ "'Ship of Theseus' Wins Indian National Film Award". Variety. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Egyptian Stars Win Big at Dubai Film Fest". Albawaba English. 17 December 2012. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  13. ^ "The Day I Ate the Fish". Indiegogo. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  14. ^ "The Day You Catch the Fish: speaking out on domestic abuse". 50 50 Inclusive Democracy. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.