AMINA KHALIL

Duchesse satin jacket, thin leather belt, duchess satin trousers and leather wedge heels, all by Fendi. All Jewellery throughout, Amina’s own.

Stylishly switching between Arabic, English, and a touch of French, the Egyptian actress Amina Khalil welcomed us into her room for a tête-à-tête. Through the penthouse window, a string of distant streetlights flickered against the backdrop of the Cairo night sky, and a long day was nearing its conclusion. Much like the streets of Cairo — energised at all hours — Amina brought an attuned focus to our conversation, preemptively answering questions with generosity, and always with a conscientiousness that no doubt underpinned her success.

Words by Christiana Boules.

Photographed by Edwin S Freyer. Styled by Alton Hetariki. Makeup by Noha Ezz El Din. Hair by Malak Samy at Ginger Management. Production by AALTO. Executive Producer, Alex Aalto. Producer and Local PR, Fatma Elsharkawy. Fashion Project Manager, Jack So. Producers assisted by Hadeer Mekky. Socials by Boram Lee. Story shot at Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah. With thanks to Noor Ayman and Nada Essmat. Amina appears courtesy of Ginger Management.

5ELEVEN Magazine The Cinema Issue 15 Cover with Amina Khalil wearing Hermès

Although born in Chicago, Amina grew up and lived in Cairo until she completed her studies in theatre at one of Egypt’s most prestigious universities, the American University in Cairo. Born to “open-minded” parents, she is mindful of what might have been had this not been the case: “So many people in Egypt have lost dreams ...many of my friends grew up to be lawyers or doctors but actually wanted to be singers or artists, or painters.” Daughter of advertising creatives and niece to pioneering Jazz musician, Yehia Khalil, artistic dreams were always a part of her familial blueprint. 

At the age of 21, Amina moved to New York to study at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, then to Russia for The Moscow Art Theatre’s intensive programme. Not unaccustomed to travel, she was encouraged from a young age to follow her interests no matter how far they took her, attending a dance school in the U.S. for two months every summer. Despite this, Amina believes solo travel was “a very daring thing to do for someone of [my] heritage.” 

Determined to beat the cultural preconceptions that acting was somehow “promiscuous,” Amina demonstrated for the naysayers what remains true to this day: that her core principles would be unchanged. Acting is the art of exploring unlived lives, and for Amina, it appears that exploration brings one’s own values into sharper focus. Reflecting on her upbringing, she spoke of her parents’ global mindset and how this did not distance them from their Egyptianness. Having lived in London, Paris and the USA, she said they “grew to be westernised in thought but remained rooted in Egyptian culture.” 

Marble wave print silk velvet jersey asymmetrical zip top and skirt, both by Hermès

In 2011, Amina returned to New York to further hone her skills. She progressed through competitive audition stages for Harvard and NYU Tisch’s graduate programmes until she witnessed the start of a revolution. “I was watching TV…my country was falling to pieces. I couldn't reach my parents, I couldn't reach my friends — all I could see through the media was disastrous and very scary…I was screenshotting pictures on my laptop and zooming into images of Tahrir Square to see who was there”. Feeling the distance from home, her focus began to falter, and well-laid plans unravelled. “I messed up! I messed up my exam because I was completely incapable of performing….I flew back as soon as I could. I felt this pull, like my country and my home really needed me.”

At the time, the film marketplace was in an unsurprising lull, so Amina relied on other talents instead. Soon after, she began singing at a Cairo Jazz bar, where she was spotted for her first role, Sharbat the Cunning. A key moment for the start of her career, this wasn’t in fact her first time acting on screen. Amina’s first credit was for a German production called Catching the Stars at the age of 12, heralding her characteristic search for growth and opportunities across cultures. With a journey beginning so early, one could question whether her ambitions were due to the artistic influences of her family, or an innate direction: “I knew my whole life, since I was three. I was a ballerina until I was twenty. I always used to sing, and I used to act all the time. I was in every school play.  I never knew anything else. This was my calling.”

It is only within the last few years, however, that she feels empowered to pick projects that matter to her. “Women are often marketed as sidekicks within a male-dominated box office”, she admits. “We're not written to have the space. To collaborate with writers about what I would like to discuss and matters that are important to me – it has taken an entire career to reach that point.” 

Duchesse satin jacket, thin leather belt, duchess satin trousers and leather wedge heels, all by Fendi. All Jewellery throughout, Amina’s own.

An example of this was her recent performance in the Ramadan drama Lam Shamseya, directed by Karim El-Shenawy and written by Mariam Naoum — a duo she has worked with before and who give her that expressive space. The title refers to a rule of Arabic grammar (a complicated affair) which instructs learners to keep the ‘L’ (Lam) of the definite article silent, foreshadowing the expectation placed on Amina’s character to stay silent about a cultural taboo. Without gratuitous voyeurism, viewers watch her character discover through shadowy imagery the horror that her stepson is being sexually abused. Relentlessly charged and punctuated with dramatic revelations, this was her weightiest portrayal yet. “I felt like I didn’t know where Amina was," she said wearily about the personal aftermath. 

The Egyptian matriarch of acting, Youssra, once explained how the industry assessed a show’s success before the age of social media. A show that gripped the nation would empty the dense streets of Cairo at the time of its airing– something that anybody who has visited will know to be a dramatic metric. Now, audiences collectively tuning in and not waiting to stream the episode later is a mark of their anticipation. With sincere pride, Amina explained that such was the impact of Lam Shamseya that even when a glitch caused a delay in airing, viewers called in to complain. 

More than the meaning found in its absence, a life of crowds and commotion is something Amina views as a gift. For her, Egyptian cinema’s inimitability lies in its reflection of the country’s “beautiful culture of chaos.” Such unruliness naturally resists containment, so suggesting a list of Egypt’s most culturally representative films was a demanding task. Assiduous in her replies, she squared up to the problem by calling her father.

Black cut-out detail dress by Cult Gaia

After a charming back-and-forth in which father and daughter discuss each film’s merits, they made the following recommendations: Youssef Chahine’s Struggle on the Pier, a 1956 Egyptian drama film starring Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif; The Nightingale's Prayer, a 1959 film also featuring Faten Hamama and based on a Taha Hussein novel; and Youssef Chahine’s 1969 The Land. But visibly unsatisfied with her answers, Amina added that if international audiences wish to see today’s Egypt represented, they should pay attention to the faster rhythm of the TV industry. The old classics are great, but Egypt is moving at a pace.

This interview is inside The CINEMA Issue 15. Purchase your copy here.

Draped mahogany asymmetric neckline knit jersey dress by Galvan