The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni

The Egyptian Soad Hosni was born in 1943 and committed suicide in 2001. Hosni, one of the most celebrated Arab actresses, played in 82 features. Rania Stephan reconstructed her life, just using fragments on VHS films in which Hosni was a shining star.
The film is divided into three acts, a prologue and epilogue, and not only tells the life story of the versatile film star, but also of Egyptian cinema and society. In the first part, we see the actress sing and dance and a cheerful gathering of boys, girls and family. In the second part, we see Hosni – who in reality had countless affairs – as a desirable woman in sometimes complex relationships. Act three runs parallel to a change in the mood of society: there is violence against and oppression of women.
It isn’t only the body of Hosni that disappeared; this form of cinema and VHS as a medium also disappeared – three disappearances.

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