Biography

With a significantly eminent talent and undeniable powerful presence, Menna Shalaby managed to establish a name for herself in the cinema and television industries early on, thanks to her exceptional talent and commanding attitude. She rose to become one of the most recognized, admired, and sought-after Arab cinema and television actresses.

Menna began her acting career in 2001 with a role in Hadeeth Al Sabah Wal Masaa, one of the most popular and widely viewed television dramas at the time (Morning and Evening Talk). This was only the beginning of her meteoric climb to stardom, as she soon landed roles in well-known films and television series.

Her natural charm and acting talent, which shone through in each of her performances, catapulted her to unprecedented heights in her career. She has flourished in a wide range of genres, including romance, drama, thrillers, and comedy, due to her incredibly diverse aptitude and acting ability.

Menna performed a variety of roles in comedy, drama, action, and romance films. Her famous cinematic roles include El Saher (The Magician) (2001), Baheb El Cima (I Love Cinema) (2004), Ahla al Awqat (Best of Times) (2004), Heya Fawda (Chaos) (2007), screened at Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, Al Ma' wal Khodra wal Wajh al Hassan (Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces) (2016), screened at Locarno Festival, Baad El Mawkeaa (After the Battle) (2012), screened at Cannes Film Festival, Microphone (2010), Nawara (2015), as well as Marwan Hamed's hits, Al Aslyeen (The Originals) (2017), and Diamond Dust (2018), which won three awards at the 1st Casablanca Arab Film Festival in Morocco. The film generated more than 32 million EGP (1.8 million USD).

Keen on supporting emerging filmmakers, Shalaby performed the lead role in director Adam Abd ElGhaffar's short film Fork and Knife, which competed in the Short Films Competition at the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival in 2018. Furthermore, Menna's filmography includes Khayal Ma'ata (Scarecrow)(2019), which marks her reunion with Ahmed Helmy after 11 years of their first work together in sorry for the disturbance (2008).

Shalaby's most successful TV roles include Neeran Sadeeqa (Friendly Fire) (2013), Haret El Yahoud (Jewish Quarter) (2015), and Wahet El Ghoroub (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.

Menna has previously won numerous awards at local and international film festivals, including the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), where she was also hosted in an in-conversation moderated by American film critic Jay Weissberg on the sidelines of the CIFF, where she reflected on her acting career and milestones along the way. She also won the Best Actress Award at the Egyptian National Film Festival for her roles in El Saher (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, Tetouan, Oran, and Cairo Film Society festivals for her role in Nawara (2015), and the Egyptian Catholic Center Cinema Festival for her role in Banat West El Balad (2005), for which she also won a Special Award at the Damascus International Film Festival.

Menna 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 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 Wahet El Ghoroub (2017).

Menna has also served on juries for some of the world's most prestigious film festivals, including the Cairo International Film Festival, the Carthage Film Festival (Official Competition), the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden (Feature-Length and Short Film Competition), and the El Gouna Film Festival (Feature Narrative Competition).

Menna Shalaby showed a strong presence online by having three different hit projects which premiered on ShahidVIP. Every Week Has a Friday, which led her to become the first Arab actress to be nominated for an International Emmy Award; Nemra Etnein drama series, in which she starred in an episode, under the title: Awel Embareh (The Day Before Yesterday), opposite Ahmed Malek, directed by Mohamed Shaker and written by Mariam Naoum. And last but not least, the second season of Leh La'a (Why Not?) which was written by Mariam Naoum and directed by Mariam Abou Ouf, the series received huge audience acclaim and won Menna an honorary mention at the Egyptian Catholic Center Cinema Festival.

In 2021, she collaborated with OPPO on the Reno6 Series ad, with the theme "Every Emotion, In Portrait." The goal of this campaign is to urge people to treasure their treasured experiences and memories. The promotional campaign included a short film titled "Photograph: The Space Between Us," starring Menna Shalaby and Nabil Issa.

Menna's most recent projects include Al'Ins W AlNems (2021), in which she co-stars with comedian Mohamed Heneidy. As well as, two box office hits; El Gareema (The Crime), starring Ahmed Ezz and directed by Sherif Arafa, and Men Agl Ziko, starring Kareem Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and directed by Peter Mimi, the film is now available for streaming on Netflix.

Her latest 15 episode series Betlou' Al-Rouh', directed by Kamla Abou Zekry, screened in Ramadan 2022 on MBC and ShahidVIP, garnered her the Best Actress Award at the 2022 Cairo Drama Festival and Best Actress Award in The Arab World at the 2022 Murex D'or ceremony.

Shalaby's latest work is Shahid's TAGHYEER GAW series, which aired during the 2023 Ramdan season to terrific audience reception. Earlier in 2023, the megastar was also honored at the second edition of the Cairo Drama Festival alongside directors Kamla Abo Zekri and Peter Mimi, as well as acclaimed actors Maged El-Kidwany, Mona Zaki, and Karim Abdelaziz.

As for the Ramadan 2024 race, Shalaby will be opting for the radio instead of the small screen; the star is hosting a radio series titled BEIT OM EL GHOLAM airing on NRJ, Egypt's 92.1 radio station. The series is directed by Moustafa Mounir and written by Mohamed Ismail.

- IMDb mini biography by: MAD solutions