Screening & Discussion: The Mute (El Kharsaa) with Lead Actress Samira Ahmed in Attendance

El Kharsaa (The Mute) ranks as one of Hassan Al Imam‘s earliest masterpieces. The Mute puts its protagonist, Samira Ahmed, on stage as one of the leading actresses of the golden age of Egyptian cinema,

The Mute is the story of Naiima. who is mute and living with her father and abusive stepmother, poor peasants, in a village in upper Egypt. A newly arrived doctor (Emad Hamdy) takes pity and employs her as his assistant, and for whom she develops an infatuation. One night while attending a village fair, the son of a prominent villager rapes and impregnates her.