The Cairo International Film Festival announced the honoring of Egyptian actor Khaled El Nabawy with the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at its 46th edition, celebrating his prolific career spanning over 35 years. The festival is scheduled to take place from November 12 to 21, 2025.

During the festival’s press conference held today, Hussein Fahmy stated that Khaled El Nabawy is one of the most prominent stars of his generation and one of the most aware of the concept of art as a cultural and humanitarian message that transcends local boundaries. He noted that El Nabawy began his career in the late 1980s with careful steps in cinema and television, quickly attracting attention with his multifaceted talent and his ability to build characters from within, through precise psychological features and a voice balancing strength and calmness.

El Nabawy graduated from the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts in 1989, the same year his first film “Honey Moon” directed by Mohamed Abdel Aziz was released, followed by “Citizen Egyptian” with another great director, Salah Abu Seif. His major cinematic breakthrough came with the film “The Emigrant” in 1994 with Youssef Chahine, which marked a turning point in his career and opened doors to international recognition.

Afterwards, El Nabawy starred in a series of films that established him as one of the most prominent faces in modern Egyptian cinema, including “Destiny”, “Omar 2000”, “The Dealer”, “The Traveler”, among others.

El Nabawy also entered Hollywood during his artistic career, participating in notable works such as Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven”, “Fair Game” alongside Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, and “The Citizen” in which he had the lead role and participated in several international festivals.