Menna Shalaby (; 24 July 1982) is an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She is featured in numerous film and TV productions, among which is the television series ''Every Week Has a Friday'', which earned her a nomination for an International

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, making Shalaby the first Egyptian nominee.

Early life

Menna Shalabi was born in

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...

, to an artistic family. Her mother is actress Zizi Mustafa, her father is businessman Hesham Shalaby, and her aunt is

media personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

Poussy Shalabi. She began her acting career in 2000 when she was discovered by actress

Samiha Ayoub Samiha Ayoub (; 8 March 1932 – 3 June 2025) was an Egyptian actress known for her work on stage, in film and on television. In 2015, she received the Nile Award in the Arts, and in the same year, the large hall in the National Theater was name ...

, who introduced her in the series ''Salma Ya Salama''. Before that, she appeared in television programs and children's puzzles. Before Shalabi entered the

Egyptian cinema The Egyptian film industry is today based mainly in Cairo, which is sometimes referred to as Hollywood on the Nile, Hollywood of the Middle East or Hollywood of the East, despite having its beginnings in the city of Alexandria in the early 20t ...

, she appeared for only 3 seconds in the 1999 film ''El-Asifa''.

Career

Menna Shalabi began her acting career in 2001 with a role ''Morning and Evening Talk'', based on a story by Nobel laureate

Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha (, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described him as a writer "who, through wo ...

, a popular and widely viewed television drama miniseries at the time. Her cinematic debut was in ''The Magician'' (2001) with

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz Mahmoud Abdel Aziz (‎; 4 June 1946 – 12 November 2016) was an Egyptian film and television actor. He became famous for several famous roles in Cinema of Egypt, Egyptian cinema, before becoming famous in his native Egypt and the whole regi ...

, followed by ''

I Love Cinema ''I Love Cinema'' ( ) is a 2004 Egyptian film directed by Osama Fawzy starring Mahmoud Hemaidah and Laila Elwi. A comedy-drama with an emphasis on social, cultural and religion-related problems in Egyptian society, and introducing art as a savior ...

'' (2004), ''Best of Times'' (2004). In 2007, she starred in Youssef Chahine's '' Chaos, This Is'' (2007), screened at

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

and

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

. She also starred in ''

Microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...

'' (2010), the film received Best Arabic-language film Award from

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year since its inception, except for 2011 and 2013, when it was cancelled ...

. She collaborated with

Yousry Nasrallah Yousry Nasrallah ( ) (born 26 July 1952) is an Egyptian film director. Biography Nasrallah was born to a Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Coptic Christian family in Cairo. He grew up in Zamalek, in central Cairo. He graduated in econo ...

in '' After the Battle'' (2012), which brought

back to

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

after a 15-year absence, and ''

Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces ''Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces'' (, translit. Al-Ma', Wal Khoudra, Walwagh El-Hassan.) is a 2016 Egyptian comedy film directed by Yousry Nasrallah. It was selected to be screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2016 Tor ...

'' (2016), which world premiered at the

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

before it was released in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Among her most significant appearances was her role in ''Nawara'' (2015) directed by Hala Khalil, which brought her a record of 10 best actress awards. Afterwards, Shalabi starred in Marwan Hamed's films '' The Originals'' (2017), and ''

Diamond Dust Diamond dust is a ground-level cloud composed of tiny ice crystals. This meteorological phenomenon is also referred to simply as '' ice crystals'' and is reported in the METAR code as IC. Diamond dust generally forms under otherwise clear or ...

'' (2018), the film was a box-office hit. Keen on supporting emerging filmmakers, Shalaby performed the lead role in director Adam Abd Elghaffar's

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

''Fork and Knife'' (2018), which competed in the Short Films Competition at the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival in 2018. Furthermore, Menna's filmography includes ''Scarecrow'' (2019), which marks her reunion with

Ahmed Helmy Ahmed Muhammad Helmy Abdel Rahman Awwad (; born November 18, 1968) is an Egpytians, Egyptian actor, comedian, film producer, author, TV host and diplomat. He started his career in 1993 on the Egyptian satellite broadcast in a program called ''Le ...

after their last work together in '' Sorry to Disturb'' (2008). Shalaby's most successful TV roles include ''Friendly Fire'' (2013), ''Jewish Quarter'' (2015), and ''Sunset Oasis'' (2017). Aside from her acting profession, Menna has participated in various charity initiatives for persons with disabilities, raising awareness about the difficulties these people experience in Egyptian society.

Awards

Menna Shalaby has previously won numerous awards at national and international film festivals, including the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). She also won the Best Actress Award at the Egyptian National Film Festival for her roles in The Magician (2001) and ''An El Eshq Wel Hawaa'' (2006), as well as the Arabian Cinema Awards (ACA) and the Arab Star Festival for her role in ''Diamond Dust'' (2018), as well as the

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, Tetouan,

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, and Cairo Film Society festivals for her role in ''Nawara'' (2015), and the

Egyptian Catholic Center for Cinema Festival The Egyptian Catholic Center for Cinema Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. Started in 1952, it is the oldest film festival in Egypt, Africa, and the Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English la ...

for her role in ''Downtown Girls'' (2005), for which she also won a Special Award at the

Damascus International Film Festival The Damascus International Film Festival () is a biannual November film festival hosted by the government of Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It ...

. Shalaby was also voted 'Best Actress' by the public in a number of surveys held by Arab and Egyptian publications and radio stations. In addition, she was honored by the Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival in Morocco and received an Honorary Award at the Aswan International Women's Film Festival (AIWFF) in 2019 for her remarkable cinematic career in Egypt and the Arab globe. She also received multiple honors for her television roles, including the Critic's Award for Best Actress at the Arab Satellite Channels Festival for her performance in ''Sunset Oasis'' (2017). Shalaby has also served on juries for some of the world's most prestigious film festivals, including the

, the

Carthage Film Festival Carthage Film Festival (Journées cinématographiques de Carthage, or JCC) is an annual film festival that takes place in Tunis, founded in 1966. It is also known by its Arabic title, ("Cinema Days of Carthage"). Initially biennial alternating ...

(Official Competition), the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden (Feature-Length and Short Film Competition), and the

El Gouna Film Festival The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF; ) is an annual film festival established in 2017, held in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, Egypt. The event is hosted by the El Gouna Convention and Culture Centre. The festival focuses on storytelling trends, ...

(Feature Narrative Competition). Menna Shalaby is the first Arab

to be nominated for

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

Personal life

Menna Shalaby is single and was never married to date. She practices Islam.

Controversy

On 25 November 2022, she was arrested at

Cairo International Airport Cairo International Airport (; ''Maṭār El Qāhira El Dawli'') is the principal international airport of Cairo and the largest and busiest airport in Egypt. It serves as the primary hub for Egyptair and Nile Air as well as several other a ...

for her possession of substances including

Marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

, after returning from New York City. However, she was released shortly after paying a bail of LE50K. In January 2023, she was sentenced to one year in prison and LE10K fine with suspension for three years by the North Cairo Criminal Court, due to obtaining illegal substances with the intention of using them. In May 2024, the Court of Cassation rendered her appeal, and although her jail term was upheld, it remained suspended.

Selected filmography

Films

Source: *2001: ''El Saher (The Magician)'' *2003: ''Iw'a Wishshak (Watch Your Face)'' *2003: ''Film Hindi (An Indian Movie)'' *2003: ''Kallem mama ( Call Mama)'' *2004: ''Enta Omry (My Soul Mate)'' *2004: ''Ahla Wl Awkat (The Best of Times)'' *2004: ''Shabab Takeaway (Takaway Guys)'' *2004: ''Baheb El Cima (

)'' *2005: ''El-Haya Montaha El-lazza (Joys of Life)'' *2005: ''Fi Mahatet Masr (At Cairo Station)'' *2005: ''Abo El Arabi Wasal (Abo El Arabi is Here)'' *2005: ''Ahlam Omrena (Dreams of Our Lives)'' *2005: ''Banat West Albalad (Downtown Girls)'' *2006: ''An El Eshq Wel Hawa (All About Love)'' *2006: ''Ouija'' *2007: ''Alawela fel Gharam (First in Love)'' *2007: ''Heya Fawda ( Chaos, This Is)'' *2007: '' Keda Reda (Satisfied Like This)'' *2007: ''Wahed Mn El Nas (One of the People)'' *2008: ''Asef Ala Al Izaag ( Sorry to Disturb)'' *2009: ''Badal Faqed (The Replacement)'' *2010: ''

'' *2010: ''Nour Einy ( The Light of My Eyes)'' *2011: ''Ezaet Hob (Love Station)'' *2011: '' Bibo and Beshir'' *2012: ''Baad El Mawkeaa ( After The Battle)'' *2015: ''Nawara'' *2016: ''Al Ma' wal Khodra wal Wajh al Hassan (

)'' *2017: ''Al Asleyeen ( The Originals)'' *2018: ''Shouka Wa Sekina (Fork & Knife)'' *2018: ''Torab El Mas (

)'' *2019: ''Khayal Maata (Scarecrow)'' *2021: ''Al'iins w Alnams (The Mongoose and The Human)'' *2022: ''El Gareema ( The Crime)'' *2022: ''Men Agl Zizo ( For Ziko )'' *2024: ''El Hawa Sultan (Love Reigns Supreme)''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shalabi, Menna Egyptian television actresses Egyptian film actresses 21st-century Egyptian actresses Living people 1982 births Actresses from Giza