Interviews

With his light-up violin and confident strides towards his audience, Marsellio never fails to paint colourful emotions with his mellifluous tunes. The virtuoso is famous for covering popular songs from a myriad of cultures, and adding the signature tonal lustre he’s most loved for. Marsellio talks to Mayar El-Shamy about how he started, his journey to becoming a soloist, and gives advice to aspiring young musicians.

Ever since the acclaimed film production company, ‘The Producers’, was launched, mainstream taste of the Egyptian audience in television and cinema has been incontestably refined, where their demands have surpassed an affinity for mere entertainment to include thought-provoking content and top-notch direction. Hani Osama, who has co-founded the company with Hadi El Bagoury, has since raised the bar sky-high with his eccentric films and TV series on some of the most controversial social taboos. Some of his masterpieces include ‘Lamoakhza’ (Excuse My French) and ‘Sheikh Jackson’. The pioneering filmmaker talks to (in)sight’s Rania Badr about his journey in the industry so far, and some of his future projects.

In a step ahead towards a more genteel society, and a world full of decent manners, Dina El Selmy, the stunning etiquette consultant, sets out the proper behaviour for everyday life and different occasions to help us feel poised and graceful. We have all experienced situations when we wanted to behave appropriately and respectably, but didn’t know what to say or how to act. It doesn’t come with intuition or common sense, but by learning from the experts. Thus, Dina organises ‘Urban Contemporary Etiquette’ programs to gear us towards success, and a more civilised community. The etiquette expert talks to (in)Sight’s Dina Fawzy about her personal life, how she started her business, and gives us some tips.

Driven by inextinguishable passion and a strive for perfection, Tarek El Ganainy has been leading the television production industry long enough to make it thrive. ‘Saturday Night Live Bil-Arabi’ has especially been garnering attention in the MENA region, excellently bringing home SNL’s widely known humour with the dash of Arab-ised comedy we all know and love. Alongside flawless production, El Ganainy has also recently proved his exquisite skill further after organising the outstanding opening and closing ceremonies of El Gouna Film Festival that have surpassed everyone’s expectations. El Ganainy shares with (in)sight’s Rania Badr some of his personal thoughts, and discloses some details on his next anticipated project ‘Abu Omar Al Masry.’

Best known for her philanthropist efforts as the head CSR at MBC hope, Mariam Farag’s humanist milestones go beyond those aired on TV. Her off-screen humanitarian aid has long been diligent, ever since she was only a teen who happily spent her youth in volunteering her time for the advancement of SOS villages in her homeland. Farag takes a moment from her hectic schedule to talk to us about her hopes for the future of the Middle East and the re-humanising the refugee crisis.

When we think of icons who made 2017 a memorable year while we procrastinated by staring at our phones until we passed out, we think of Hana Elawadi, who fed our addiction to social media by giving it a whole new meaning. Through her #HanaGoesLocal campaign, she has made adapting to our current economical situation seem much easier by introducing us to brilliant local brands, which offer the same quality of imported products, but for a reasonable price tag that doesn’t siphon the economy further down the drain. Elawadi tells us what first compelled her to blog, how she manages to survive a cramped schedule and spills the beans on her skin care routine!

After pursuing her promising career at a young age, Habiba Basiony managed to draw attention to her polished flair in hosting and participating in some of the best entertainment television programmes. The ‘Spotlight’ host has impressively covered the 89thAcademy Awards, putting her outgoing personality to fabulous use. Indisputably, Basiony is an alluring woman with adventurous soul; the sky is her limit and she’s always striving for wider acclaim. The stunning host speaks up about the challenges she faces, some of her personal interests, and her coverage of the Oscars.

While many may attempt to go the extra mile to undergo career shifts in the venture of pursuing their lifelong passion, only a few glitteringly stand out as Salma Khalil did when she established her scrapping book studio, which is impressively the first of its kind in Egypt. Aspiring endlessly to achieve more goals, Salma acquired a skill in scrapping matchless first-rate notebooks and set an independent role model for her kids and the ambitious youth. Here’s Khalil on her exquisite talent and how she founded ‘MyWay’ craft studio.

Leading a revolutionary headway in the fashion industry by bringing together Middle Eastern culture with a Western identity, Marmar Halim’s exquisite designs are the right choice for those who don’t want to go unnoticed. Recently, Halim loomed large in the fashion arena, dressing up renowned celebrities including Egypt’s first lady, Mrs. Entissar El Sisi, Sherine Abdel-Wahab, and Dorra Zarrouk. With a glamorous flair, Halim has pioneered a new wave of fashion with a passion for portraying Arab women in the most simple and elegant styles.

With her alluring flair and spellbinding performance, the stunning Mariam Al Khosht has captivated our sensations in ‘La Totfea Al Shams’ (The Sun Will Never Set). Aside from rising to prominence after her role as Shaheera, Al Khosht amalgamates her predilection for makeup art and fondness for animals to focus attention on the controversial issue of animal-testing. Over and above, she spares no effort to spread awareness on the sensitive topic, from leading a cruelty-free career in the makeup field and rescuing stray animals, to supporting animal protection shelters and foundations. The glamorous philanthropic activist and actress opens up about living a cruelty-free lifestyle in Egypt and tells us a bit about her acting career.