El Set (2025)

The film begins in 1967, as Umm Kulthum prepares to give a concert at the Olympia in Paris, one of her most important international performances. The narrative then moves back to her childhood in the village of Tamay al-Zahayra in Dakahlia Governorate, where she began singing with a powerful voice unusual for a girl her age. She later moves to Cairo with her father, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Beltagi, and faces clashes with social traditions, as well as the difficulties she encounters as a woman in the artistic world. Umm Kulthum forms artistic and professional relationships with some of Cairo’s most prominent poets and composers, including Ahmed Rami, Mohamed El Qasabgi, and Riad El Sunbati. These relationships profoundly affect her life and personality and shape her artistic voice. The film also sheds light on her relationship with her musical ensemble, the political and social contexts in which she lived, and her role during the era of Arab nationalism in the 1950s and 1960s. It concludes with a moving portrait of Umm Kulthum’s artistic and personal development, and of her profound influence on millions of listeners across the Arab world.