Skip to main content
Back to search
  • Add to playlist

Samia forever

The second part of the triptych “Regard sur le cinéma musical arabe” (a look at Arab musical cinema), Samia forever pays a resounding tribute to the woman who, for more than twenty years, was the “Marilyn Monroe” of Egyptian musicals. Between film extracts, archives and testimonies, the film traces the life of Samia Gamal (1924-1994) who, by becoming a cinema legend, established herself as one of the icons of Oriental dance. 

“Perhaps dance was innate in me”, she said. And so it had to be to dedicate one’s life to that art as, while Oriental dance (“raqs al-sharqui”) is a cultural phenomenon as old as it is indisputable, Egyptian society has always stigmatised its dancers. Born in Upper Egypt, Zainab Ibrahim Mahfuz arrived in Cairo with her family in 1932. She worked in a sewing workshop until her father’s death (she was then 16), before meeting Baadia Masabni, the inventor of modern Oriental dance, who would be her mentor. It was in Baadia's troupe where she met Tahia Carioca, her closest rival, that Samia Gamal developed her own style. In 1944, she made the acquaintance of the playboy actor Farid al-Atrash with whom she formed a duo de charme for five years both on the silver screen and in real life. Samia Gamal owes her star status not only to her sensual beauty and the quality of her dance, but also to her romantic woes, at the convergence between her life and her roles.

Boukhemal, Saïda

Born in 1972 in Algiers, Saïda Boukhemal studied cinema in France, at the Sorbonne then at the Ecole de l'Image des Gobelins, before co-founding the Potlatch agency in 2002 with an experienced entrepreneur already co-founder of the company Storck (1st 3D film awarded at Annecy), Daniel Prévost. “Regards on Arab Musical Cinema” is the first documentary film in three parts by Saïda Boukhemal.

Samia Forever

Artistic direction / Conception : Saïda Boukhemal

Production / Coproduction of the video work : Potlatch production, CNC, TV5 Monde, Cinémathèque de la danse, Groupe OCEI

Our videos suggestions
03:38

Yvette Chauviré

Fokine, Michel (France)

  • Add to playlist
04:00

The birth of "coupé décalé"

Carlès, James (France)

  • Add to playlist
05:54

Coupé Décalé Act 2

Carlès, James (France)

  • Add to playlist
28:55

Carolyn Carslon, A Woman of Many Faces

Carlson, Carolyn (France)

  • Add to playlist
54:01

Carolyn Carlson, Solo

Carlson, Carolyn (Italy)

  • Add to playlist
47:41

The heart of the sand

Acogny, Germaine (Senegal)

  • Add to playlist
07:40

Éric Languet, chorégraphe

  • Add to playlist
01:52

Ghazeia danseuse d'Egypte

  • Add to playlist
02:56

The Wedding [extract 1]

Carlès, James (France)

  • Add to playlist
01:39

Ostrich [extract 2]

Carlès, James (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:14

Coupé Décalé studies Extract

  • Add to playlist
02:40

Coupé Décalé Act 2

Carlès, James (France)

  • Add to playlist
01:35

Ostrich

Carlès, James (France)

  • Add to playlist
02:54

Wedding (The)

Primus, Pearl (France)

  • Add to playlist
26:11

Coupé Décalé

Orlin, Robyn (France)

  • Add to playlist
02:28

Six seasons

Khan, Akram (United Kingdom)

  • Add to playlist
02:05

Douar [teaser]

Attou, Kader (France)

  • Add to playlist
04:00

Very Wetr !

Chopinot, Régine (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:17

Yvette Chauviré

Chauviré, Yvette (France)

  • Add to playlist
Our themas suggestions

Yield Variations on dissuasive urban furniture

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Roots of Diversity in Contemporary Dance

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Indian dances

Discover Indian dance through choreographic creations which unveil it, evoke it, revisit it or transform it!

Parcours

fr/en/

James Carlès

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Do you mean Folklores?

Presentation of how choreographers are revisiting Folklore in contemporary creations.

Parcours

fr/en/

Dance and music

The relationship between music and choreographic works varies throught dance history.

Parcours

fr/en/

A Numeridanse Story

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Black Dance

James Carlès, dancer and choreographer and specialist of Afro-American dance, evokes the origin of current-day urban dances. From Africa to the United States via Europe, he emphasizes their hybrid style and puts their social and political dimension into perspective. A myriad of videos, photos, illustrations and additional resources complement this interview.

Webdoc

fr/en/

Hand dances

This parcours presents different video extracts in which hands are the center of the mouvement.

Parcours

fr/en/

Bagouet Collection

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Genres and styles

Dance is a rather vast term, which covers a myriad of specificities. These depend on the culture of a country, on a period, on a place. This Journey proposes a visit through dance genres and styles.

Parcours

fr/en/

Modern Dance and Its American Roots [1900-1930] From Free Dance to Modern Dance

At the dawn of the 20th century, in a rapidly changing West, a new dance appeared: Modern Dance. In the United States as in Europe, modern trends emerge simultaneously and intertwine in thier development. Let's dive into the beginnings of American modern dance!  

Parcours

fr/en/

Western classical dance enters the modernity of the 20th century: The Ballets russes and the Ballets suédois

If the 19th century is that of romanticism, the entry into the new century is synonymous of modernity! It was a few decades later that it would be assigned, a posteriori, the name of “neo-classical”. 

Parcours

fr/en/

Dancing to exist

Parcours

fr/en/

Rituals

Discover how the notion of ritual makes sense in various dances through these extracts.

Parcours

fr/en/
By accessing the website, you acknowledge and accept the use of cookies to assist you in your browsing.
You can block these cookies by modifying the security parameters of your browser or by clicking onthis link.
I accept Learn more