Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt

Singer Umm Kulthum was born a peasant at the turn of the century. She became a powerful symbol, first of the aspirations of her country, Egypt, and then of the entire Arab world. In 1975, four million people were on the streets of Cairo for her funeral. To this day her cassettes outsell every other Arabic female vocalist. Narrated by Omar Sharif, Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt is the first documentary to bring Umm Kulthum to an American audience. The film connects her life to the epic story of 20th Century Egypt as it shook off colonialism and confronted modernity.