In 2005 the film
Dunia (2005) by Lebanese director
Jocelyne Saab Hanan played the leading role. The movie centers around the title character Dunia, a belly dancer and poet. When the film aired at the 2005 Cairo International Film Festival, it left the audience split between those who supported the film's call for intellectual freedom and its stance against female circumcision, and those who disapproved of the title character's desire to physically express herself through dance. It was also controversial that so many scenes were filmed in Cairo's slums, which could be seen to tarnish Egypt's international image. The film was especially controversial in Egypt for taking up the tradition of female circumcision, among other reasons; it received a good deal of attention in Europe.
