Nadia Lutfi
Actress
Nadia Lutfi is an actress and a woman pioneer of Egyptian and Arab cinema. In this interview, she spoke about her education at French and German schools, and traced her acting career in many prominent movies, such as The Dark Shades, The Sins, and The Deep End of the City. She also shared her experience as a movie producer and director. Nadia talked about her participation in social support initiatives during the wars in 1967 and 1973, and her volunteer work at al-Qasr al-Aini Hospital and the Red Crescent.
she grew to cherish as a result of the commitment her mother and grandmother to volunteerism.
Born Paula Mohamed Shafiq, Nadia Lutfi attended several branches of the Notre Dame French school, since she relocated her primary residence many times during her childhood. She was taught by nuns, and loved her school dearly. Nadia later attended the German School, and of course found it difficult at first to study the German language. There, she was also taught by nuns, but recalled that they were firm and strict. Nadia recounted that in all the school she attended, a little attention was given to teaching the Arabic language, and that she developed her command of the Arabic language through reading. Her father also helped her read and discuss Arabic novels, which expanded her general knowledge, and contributed to her strong love for the Arabic language. As for her mother, Nadia recalled that she was extremely strict. Nadia defied her mother a lot growing up, yet later came to realize the virtue of such a strict upbringing.
Nadia stated that through acting, she got to fulfil all her dreams, and experience all the images and modes of life she wanted. She started her acting career with some hesitation, which was later settled thanks to the producer Ramses Naguib, who produced her first movie The Sultan in 1958. Nadia described this period in Egypt as a cultural and artistic renaissance, and the beginning of women’s involvement in all the professional fields of work. She received acting training from Mr. Abd al-Warith Asr, whom she credited with teaching her the acting craft. She also received Quran lessons to better her elocution and delivery. Nadia believed in diligence and hard work when it comes to acting, which made her keen on receiving acting lessons for a long time.
Her second movie experience was Eternal Love, directed by Youssef Chahine. The movie was a great success, and won many awards. Her career flourished after that, and she played roles in various films, including The Giants of the Sea, The Dark Shades, Seven Girls, The Sins, The Deep End of the City, Quails and Autumn, and Tomorrow Life Begins, in addition to The Mummy, Men with No Faces, The Prisoner, A Journey Inside a Woman, Wildflowers, and Nostalgia. Nadia acknowledged that The Sins broadened her fan base, and that her experience working in al-Nasser Salah al-Deen introduced her to the themes of history, occupation, and resistance.
Nadia shared her memories of the different roles she performed, and how she prepared for each character she played. Among her memories was her work with director Youssef Chahine, who once advised her to withdraw her registration into one of the acting institutes. While Nadia had the desire to pursue an academic study, he believed she enjoyed the instinctive talent and spontaneity required for acting. Nadia also recalled her memories with director Shadi Abd al-Salam while working on the movie The Mummy, in which she appeared as a guest star. Nadia worked with several directors who were then at the start of their careers, such as Khairi Bishara, Ali Abd al-Khaleq, and Hisham Abu al-Nasr.
Besides film acting, Nadia wrote and edited for the magazine Al-Mawed, thanks to its editor-in-chief, Badie Serbeyah. She also took part in the play Bamba Kashar, directed by Hussein Kamal in 1968. Nadia served as a member of the Cinema Committee at the Ministry of Culture, and a member of the Cinema Chamber at the Ministry of Industry. During the wars of 1967 and 1973, Nadia worked with the Art Committee of the Red Crescent, and volunteered at al-Qasr al-Aini Hospital. She recalled her contribution to support the Egyptian army, and the significant role Egyptian actresses and women artists played during that time, recounting how Taheyya Kariokka, Laila Murad, Zozo Madi, Zainab Sidqi, and others traveled to various governorates on the Mercy Train to raise funds for the army and the Red Crescent during the wars. Nadia also visited the war front during the war of attrition, as part of the group of actors, authors, painters, and singers who traveled to solidify the link between the civil society and the war front. During the 1973 War, Nadia, along with Saeed al-Sahar, Saad Wahba, and others, stayed at al-Qasr al-Aini Hospital for a month to provide emotional and in-kind support for the wounded, and to compile a movie library inside the different hospital wards. She attributed her love for volunteerism to her mother and grandmother who were giving and generous women, and were involved in volunteer work. Nadia’s grandmother was an active member of the Muhammad Ali Mabarra.
Nadia participated in directing and producing a number of documentary films, such as the documentary film on Saint Catherine’s Monastery, in which actress Samiha Ayoub was the voice narrator, and the monteur Kamal Abu al-Ela was the film editor. The movie was directed by Nabiha Lutfi, and the music was done by Mona Ghonim, in addition to the performances by al-Abediya Choir. The movie was produced in 1979, and was 25 minutes long, during which Nadia used manuscripts to prove the affiliation of the Sinai region to the Egyptian culture. She recounted that she sent a copy of the movie to the Vatican, and received a certificate of appreciation for the accuracy of the work. The Vatican also acknowledged the depth of the scientific research behind the movie, which was conducted by Dr. Louis Awad, Dr. Bagur, and Bishop Gregorius. The movie budget was 36 thousand pounds, which was a huge budget since the customary budget for documentary films at that time did not exceed 6 thousand pounds. For Nadia, this movie was the highlight of her career, and her most valuable movie experience.
Nadia believed that her true education was her work in filmmaking and cinema, and that this work nurtured her, and contributed to her development. With her rebellious nature, she enjoyed her constant pursuit for everything new and innovative. Nadia expressed her desire for women to have an independent existence and a role in life, which was what she tried to accentuate through her various roles. She attempted to select roles that show women as responsible, with the ability to make life choices, and that draw a positive image of women beyond their representation as submissive or influential. Nadia Lutfi stated that she was never preoccupied with competition; she just wanted to succeed, and to prove worthy of her position.