Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas awarded the Culture and Arts Medal to Egyptian actor Mohamed Sobhi and screenwriter Wahid Hamed in recognition of their illustrious careers and promotion of Egyptian-Palestinian ties.
The medal is the highest cultural merit given in Palestine.
Abbas also visited actress Nadia Lotfi at the hospital and bestowed upon her the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) medal.
The actress welcomed the honor, while condemning international silence on the Israeli violations against Palestinians.
For his part, Sobhi expressed his gratitude for the honor and his pride in bolstering Egyptian-Palestinian ties in many television and theater projects that highlighted the Palestinian and Arab causes.
The award ceremony was held at al-Andalus palace in Cairo.
Speaking to reporters at the event, Sobhi said: "I am so proud of this honor. It emphasizes my devotion to the Palestinian cause for over 50 years. My love to the Palestinian people is endless."
Hamed, meanwhile, hoped to see true Palestinian national reconciliation "because it will have a great impact on the future of the Palestinian cause,” reported the WAFA news agency.
The award ceremony was attended by several figures, including the Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt and its permanent envoy to the Arab League, Diab Allouh.
Sobhi graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts with honors. In the early 1980s, he founded the "Studio 80" group with his friend and classmate, playwright Lenin Ramly. Together they performed a series of plays, including "Takharif," "El Hamaji," "Anta Hor" and "Wejhat Nazar." He then performed in popular plays, such as "Mama America," "Lo'bet el-Sit," “Carmen” and "Sikket el-Salam 2000."
On television, he took part in many successful series, such as "Rehlet al-Million,", "Sunbul ba'd el-million," "Yawmiyat Wanis" and "Fares bila Jawad." He also starred in many films until the early 1990s, before he dedicated his time to theater and television.
Wahid Hamid is one of Egypt’s greatest screenwriters. Born in Sharqia on July 1, 1944, he began writing dramas in the late 1960s. The series "Ahlam el-Fata el-Ta'r" in 1978, starring Adel Imam, brought him great success and kicked off a long-term partnership with the acclaimed actor.
The partnership kicked off with a movie called, "Intakhibou Doctor Suleiman Abdul Basit," and continued in the "el-Ghoul" and "Al-Halfut" in the 1980s, during which Hamed also cooperated with the great late director Atef al-Tayeb.
He also worked with many stars, including Nour El-Sherif. His latest film, "Ehki Ya Shahrazad" was directed by Yusri Nasrallah.
