Egyptian director Mohamed Sami, accompanied by his wife, star Mai Omar, participated in the opening ceremony of the fifth session of the Red Sea Film Festival held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and commented on his wife’s work with another director, saying that he is her husband, not her father.
Mai spoke to the media about her new series, in which she is participating in the 2026 Ramadan race, “The Lady Mona Lisa,” which is written by Mohamed Sayed Bashir and directed by Mohamed Ali, saying, “A sweet, strong series full of feelings, and I love presenting roles that have to do with women’s issues: betrayal or persecution.”
Commenting on Mai’s work with a director other than her husband, Sami said, “I am her husband, not her father, by the way.”
Regarding director Mohamed Sami’s experience of acting for the first time in the series 8 Shots, he said: “I am very happy with the experience, and I loved the topic of acting. It is an experience that I hope will succeed.” May interrupted him, confirming his great acting ability, and noting the ease of working with him as a director, due to his attention to the smallest details in the work.
Mai commented, “For ten years he has been telling me that you should act. He has a strong, sweet character, and Mohamed works with him very easily and he pays attention to all the details.”
It is noteworthy that after a joint artistic journey that extended for years between the artist Mai Omar and the director, her husband, Mohamed Sami, Mai officially announced her artistic separation from him.
The duo achieved remarkable successes, as they presented 8 previous works together, most notably “Esh Ash,” “Avocado Blessing,” “Pearls,” “Nasal Al-Agharab,” and others.