DUBAI, 3 December 2006 — Celebrated Egyptian singer Najat Al-Saghirah won the $100,000 Sultan Owais Award for pioneering singers in the Arab world for the year 2006. Making the announcement, Homaid Al-Owais, head of the Sultan Owais Award, said: “She has been making significant contributions to the Arab music with her moving voice filled with the warmth of emotions and leaving a deep impression on listeners.”
The award was instituted in 1997 by the late Emirati poet Sultan ibn Ali Al-Owais to encourage and in recognition of those “artists who elevated the people to a world of pure joy.”
Najat, who made Umm Kulthum her role model, was born in Cairo into an artistic family in 1939. Most of the famous Arabs poets including Nizar Kabbani, Sayyed Makkawi and Baligh Hamdi have appreciated her style of singing their works. The late Egyptian singer Muhammad Abdul Wahab had called her “The Guitar of the East.”
Those who have won the award in the past include Egyptian comedian Adel Imam and Saudi singer Muhammad Abdu, reported Al-Jazirah newspaper yesterday.
Marrakech International Film Festival Opened
MARRAKECH, 3 December 2006 — Egyptian director Tawfiq Salah and Moroccan actor Muhammad Majd were honored at the Marrakech International Film Festival which was opened in the ancient North African city of Marrakech on Friday night under tight security, the online edition of the Moroccan Al-Alam newspaper reported yesterday.
Polish film director Roman Polanski headed the jurors who included Moroccan actor Jamal Dabbouz and Egyptian scriptwriter Yusri Nasrollah. A host of cinema celebrities, critics, intellectuals and media people from around the world were at the opening ceremonies held at the conference palace.
Films from Italy, Iran, Malaysia, Brazil, Thailand, Germany, Romania, Spain, Canada, Switzerland, France and the United States will be competing in the festival for the Golden Star Award, the Jurors’ Award, the best male actor award and the best actress award.
Tawfiq Salah is one of the champions of Egyptian realism cinema ranked along with Yousuf Shahin.
In a press meeting on the sidelines of the opening function, Muhammad Majd said that cinema would continue to be a symbol of international love, peace and tolerance.