Yousra receives a lifetime achievement award at the Bahrain film festival

Yousra was given the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Bahrain International Film Festival at its opening ceremony on Thursday evening, 5 November. The Egyptian star went up to collect it on the festival's first night and used her speech to mark 50 years since she started acting, thanking the audiences who have followed her for half a century.

The festival, now in its sixth edition, runs from 5 to 10 November. Its organisers said in October that this year they would honour three leading figures of Arab cinema for what they have given to the region's film industry, with three awards: one for film culture, one for lifetime achievement and one for a contribution to world cinema. Yousra's was the lifetime award, given for a long career, the performances people remember and her influence on generations of actors and viewers, as the festival put it when it announced the honours on its Instagram page.

The award is the latest in a run of tributes tied to her fiftieth year in the profession. El Gouna Film Festival celebrated her 50 years in art at its 2025 edition with an exhibition about her career, and the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah gave her an honorary award at its opening in 2022. Few Egyptian actors have worked as long at the top of both cinema and Ramadan television, and her name is still one that festivals across the Gulf put on their opening nights.

Moments from the ceremony were shared by Arab entertainment channels the same night, with Yousra on stage in a cream cape, holding the award as she spoke.

The Bahrain festival continues until Tuesday 10 November with its screenings and the other two honours. In Egypt, the film calendar picks up straight after: the Cairo International Film Festival opens its 47th edition on 11 November, where Egyptian stars are expected on the red carpet at the Cairo Opera House.