Lady of the Arab Screen
The late editor-in-chief of Al-Mawed magazine, Badih Serbey, gave the star Faten Hamama the title of "Lady of the Arab Screen". This title has a story.
Al-Mawed was the first Arab magazine to dedicate annual trophies to movie stars whose films the public chooses as the best films of each season, in a poll it conducts every year. In three consecutive polls conducted by Al-Mawed in the fifties, the great star Faten Hamama was the one who received the majority of votes, and won the Al-Mawed Cup for Best Actress.
The first ceremony to hand over the cups was held in "Eden Bay" in Beirut, and in the third ceremony, which was held in the "Semiramis" Hotel in Cairo, Badih Serbey presented the third cup won by Faten Hamama in a row and handed it to her saying: "On behalf of the readers of Al-Mawed in the Arab world, I dedicate this cup to you, announcing that "the cinema audience has crowned you the Lady of the Arab Screen". Since then, the title of Lady of the Arab Screen has been the most famous title for Faten Hamama.
This photo was taken during an interview conducted with her by the editor-in-chief of Al-Mawed magazine, Badih Serbey, for his weekly column "Star Street | Chare' Al Noujoum" in Al-Mawed magazine in the 1970s.
This image has been converted from the original medium format film, resulting in a sharp and detailed image.
By May Serbey Chehab, from the Book "Boulevard of Stars: The Golden Age of Arab Entertainment".