A S U

The Education and Students Sector at Ain Shams University has added another remarkable achievement to its distinguished record, as the University's students secured several prestigious individual and group awards during the closing ceremony of the eighth edition of the "University Theater Stars Seasons" Festival, held at El Hanager Theater. The festival was organized by the Cultural Development Fund Sector and attended by Dr. Gehan Zaki, Minister of Culture, along with a distinguished group of critics, artists, and theater professionals.

The University's participation came under the patronage of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University, Prof. Rami Maher Ghaly, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, and under the supervision of Mr. Ibrahim Said, Assistant Secretary-General for the Education and Students Sector.

In her remarks, Dr. Gehan Zaki emphasized that university theater is one of the most important platforms for discovering and nurturing artistic talent, reaffirming the Ministry of Culture's commitment to supporting young creatives and promoting cultural equity. Meanwhile, Architect Hamdy El Sattouhy, Head of the Cultural Development Fund Sector, announced that the ten productions participating in the official competition would be restaged at universities and cultural centers across Egypt, allowing them to reach a broader audience.

Ain Shams University students achieved outstanding recognition among this year's winners. The judging panel awarded Certificates of Appreciation to:

• Mina Samir for the play Who Writes Whom.

• Seif Essam for the play Guardianship.

• Noah Ahmed for his role as Shireen in Guardianship.

• Lina for her performance in Guardianship.

In the individual awards category, Mohamed Nasser won the Best Actor Award (shared) for his portrayal of Khalil in the play The Self, while Abdullah El Shennawy received the Best Director Award (shared) for the same production, further demonstrating the exceptional artistic caliber of Ain Shams University students.

In the performance awards category, the University achieved an exceptional accomplishment, with Guardianship receiving the Second-Best Performance Award (shared) and The Self winning the Third Best Performance Award (shared), reaffirming Ain Shams University's leadership in university theater and the excellence of its students across all aspects of theatrical production.

The ceremony also honored a distinguished group of theater artists whose careers began in university theater, in addition to recognizing the viewing and judging committees. The jury further recommended introducing several new award categories and restaging the productions that won second and third place at theaters affiliated with the General Authority for Cultural Palaces, enabling these promising theatrical works to reach wider audiences.

This achievement reflects Ain Shams University's distinguished role in supporting student activities and fostering artistic creativity by providing an inspiring environment for discovering and developing talent, while preparing generations capable of creativity, excellence, and competition at local and national levels.