by Mahmoud Fouly
ASWAN, Egypt, April 26 (Xinhua) -- In a dimly lit theater in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, 19-year-old Basmala Mohamed Fakhry sat in the front row, watching herself appear on the big screen.
Beside her was her childhood friend, Nada Ahmed Soghayer, 20, the writer and director of "Pen Nib," a nine-minute short film that tells Fakhry's story: a young artist with a disability whose life has been shaped by talent, persistence, and friendship.
Onscreen, Fakhry narrates her own journey. Behind her voice, scenes show her bent over a table scattered with colored pencils and paper, gripping a pen in her mouth as she draws with careful concentration.
For Fakhry, now a psychology student at Aswan University's Faculty of Arts, the screening at the Aswan International Women Film Festival was more than a film debut. It felt like a milestone.
"I am very happy that a film was made about my story," she said. "For me, it is not just a small short film. It is a great achievement."
Born with a physical disability that affected her arms, Fakhry said she discovered drawing almost by accident.
As a child, she once used a spoon in her mouth to help feed her younger sister. Her mother noticed and encouraged her to try holding a pen the same way.
Soon, Fakhry picked up her older brother's pen with her mouth and began scribbling in his notebook. What started as a small experiment gradually became an unusual artistic skill.
With support from her family, especially her mother, she developed her talent through school activities, art classes, and competitions. Over time, she earned certificates, medals, and honors from educational, cultural, and artistic institutions.
Now her work has reached beyond galleries and classrooms. She helped paint murals in Aswan, on Cairo's Al-Muizz Street, and in Al-Azhar Park.
"I dream of becoming a famous artist," she said, "of having my paintings go abroad, and of being known by the whole world."
Her story had long inspired Soghayer, who grew up with her and eventually decided to make Fakhry the subject of her first short film.
"Fakhry is a role model for me," Soghayer said. "Although she is younger than me, she is a role model. We learn from her to have determination and to keep going."
As a child, Soghayer had once wanted to write a play with Fakhry as the heroine, but the idea never materialized.
"When the opportunity to make the film came, I felt she was the one person I should make a film about," she said. "I wanted to show that disability does not stop anyone, and Fakhry is a clear example of that."
Soghayer, a student in the English department at Aswan University's Faculty of Education, said "Pen Nib" was her first project as both writer and director. The film was produced for the Aswan International Women Film Festival's workshop competition, which featured 18 short films by young filmmakers.
Although it did not win an award, the jury gave it a special mention for its portrayal of a young artist with a disability as an inspiring figure.
For Soghayer, the recognition mattered, but the message mattered more.
"I am proud of the film even if it did not win," she said, "because for me, it is a message to society and to all girls."
She said she especially wanted to tell a story from Upper Egypt, where girls and people with disabilities often face social restrictions and are too often overlooked.
"I want to tell them that they can," she said.
That message resonated with viewers in the theater.
"The film delivers a very meaningful message," said Rewan Khaled, 19, a student from Sohag Governorate in Upper Egypt. "She has a goal, and she loves what she does, and that is why she has succeeded."
"Her story is very inspiring," Khaled added. "I encourage people to take her struggle as a role model."
As the film played, Fakhry and Soghayer sat side by side in the front row: one the artist whose pen, held by her mouth, carved a path through hardship; the other the young filmmaker who turned that path into cinema.
At the end of the film, Fakhry leaves the audience with a final line:
"I want to tell anyone who sees us as less than anyone else in the world: we are energy, not disability." ■
