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‘Perfect Strangers’ Sparks Viral Controversy Among Egyptian Audiences

January 23, 2022
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Controversy erupted on social media following the release of Netflix’s first Arabic original film ‘Ashab wala A’azz’ (‘Perfect Strangers’ in English). The movie, starring Egyptian superstar Mona Zaki, Jordanian actor Eyad Nassar, Lebanese actor and director Nadine Labaki, and a number of  other Arab actors, was released on Netflix on 20 January, 2022 and has been among the top trending topics on social media in Egypt ever since. The film raised many eyebrows with its apparent support for the LGBTQI+ community and open discussions about sex. During the film, it is revealed that one of the characters is gay – representation that is rare to see in the Arab cinema world and has sparked heated discussion on social media. Another scene that has sparked debate is one that shows Zaki taking off her underwear and stuffing it in her handbag. Social Media users reacted very differently to the new film, with a #اصحاب_ولا_اعز (#perfect_strangers) and #مني_زكي (#mona_zaki) going viral on social media outlets. A number of viewers have criticized Netflix and the cast of the film, including Mona Zaki in particular, for creating a “film that goes against Egyptian values…


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