The Unbearable Presence of Asmahan

Produced in 2014

Film Information

Festival Edition 2015 - Edition 15

Section Documentary

Director Azza El-Hassan

Country Austria / Qatar

Duration 71 min

Language Arabic (English Subtitles)

Category ME Documentary 2015

Producer Ralph Wieser

Screenplay Azza El-Hassan

Synopsis

As times harden in the Arab world, people have begun to recall the greatest diva of all time: Asmahan, the Syrian princess who emigrated to Egypt in the twenties and became an entertainer. But things are not quite that simple. Asmahan is not the angel everyone imagines her to be. Behind her angelic face are dark secrets, and it is time we stopped being manipulated by Asmahan's unbearable presence.

Full Description

The film explores the life of Asmahan, a Syrian princess who became an entertainer in Egypt during the 1920s, revealing the dark secrets behind her angelic facade and the manipulation surrounding her legacy.