Transnational Arab Stardom

Kaya Davies Hayon is Lecturer in Film and Media at the Open University, UK. She is the author of Sensuous Cinema: The Body in Contemporary Maghrebi Film (Bloomsbury, 2018), and she has also published on contemporary Arab and African film in edited collections, special issues and journals, including Alphaville: Journal of Film and Media and Studies in French Cinema.Stefanie Van de Peer is Reader in Film & Media at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, UK. She specialises in Arab and African cinema, with a focus on women's roles in the film industries. She has written two books, Negotiating Dissidence: The Pioneering Women of Arab Documentary (2017) and Women in African Cinema: Beyond the Body Politic (2020) and three edited collections, Art and Trauma in Africa (IB Tauris, 2013), Film Festivals and the Middle East (2014) and Animation in the Middle East (IB Tauris, 2017). In addition, she programmes Arab cinema for international film festivals, and she works for the Africa in Motion film festival in Scotland.

• Introduction: The Multidirectionality of Transnational Arab StardomKaya Davies Hayon (Open University, UK) and Stefanie Van de Peer (Queen Margaret University, UK)Section 1: The Arab Diva: Glamour in Pan-Arab PerformersChapter 1: Reading Umm Kulthum through Film: Egyptian Woman, International Star, and Haunting LegacyLaura Lohman (North Central College, USA)Chapter 2: Fame, Infamy, Renown and Celebrity in the Life of AsmahanSherifa Zuhur (Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Strategic Studies, USA)Chapter 3: ‘Subversive to Boot’: Tahia Carioca, an Imagined Geography of EgyptCarolina Bracco (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina)Chapter 4: The Modern Marianne of Cairo: Arabness and Cosmopolitanism in Dalida’s StardomBarbara Lebrun (University of Manchester, UK)Chapter 5: Feiruz: Deconstructing a LegacySalma Yassine and Vicky Panossian (Central European University, Austria)Section 2: The Intersections of Gender, Class and Sexuality in Arab StardomChapter 6: Differently Empowering: The Performativity of Strong Female Leads Faten Hamama and Hind RostomWessam Elmeligi (University of Michigan-Dearborn, USA)Chapter 7: The Sexually and Politically Dissident Stardom of Lubna AzabalKaya Davies Hayon (Open University, UK)Chapter 8: Artist contributionBahia Shehab (American University in Cairo, Egypt)Chapter 9: ‘For Those That Haven’t Given Up, Love Is Resistance’: Hamed Sinno and the Power and Perils of Mashrou’ Leila’s MusicLowry Martin (University of Texas at El Paso, USA)Chapter 10: ‘Egypt, Africa!’: The Sonic Stardom of Mohamed RamadanClaire Cooley (Tufts University, USA)Chapter 11: A ‘Little Narrative’: Elderly Actresses in Contemporary Egyptian CinemaDina Mohamed Abd Elsalam (Alexandria University, Egypt)Section 3: Power and Politics: The Ideologies and Reception of Arab StarsChapter 12: Habiba M'sika and Haydee Chikly: Tragic Transnational Fandom and the Feminist Legacy of the Earliest Stars of Arab CinemaStefanie Van de Peer (Queen Margaret University, UK)Chapter 13: Stars in Arms: Egypt’s Movie Stars and the Free OfficersIfdal Elsaket (Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, Egypt)Chapter 14: Being Omar Sharif: A Cinematographic Excavation of a StarMark Lotfy (Figleaf Studios, Egypt)Chapter 15: Elia Suleiman: The Reluctant StarHania A.M. Nashef (American University of Sharjah, UAE)Chapter 16: Jamel Debbouze: Intersectionality, Diaspora and Transnational StardomWill Higbee (University of Exeter, UK)Index

Assembling groundbreaking research on Arab cinematic stars, this rich collection significantly enhances our comprehension of stars and their systems both within and beyond Arab cinema. Addressing a spectrum of issues and events that have influenced regional, transnational, and diasporic cinemas, this anthology thoroughly explores the contributions of Arab film stars across diverse cultural contexts and industries. The essays, encompassing not only mainstream Hollywood and Egyptian productions but also indie and arthouse cinema, offer a comprehensive view of their institutional, commercial, and political impacts. Its historical span, covering the early 20th century to the 21st, and inclusion of various genres like melodrama, musicals, and indie films, make it exceptionally wide-ranging. This collection rejects simplistic geographic and national categorizations, providing a transnational exploration of performance and reception amid geopolitical and ideological contexts. Guided by a robust introduction from the editors, the collection initiates discussions about the definition of the Arab world and its cinematic contributions. Throughout, it highlights the charisma, glamour, and talent of the stars, rendering it an essential read for both cinephiles and scholars.