Egypt-based Tunisian actress Hend Sabry started the hashtag #Kotobjeya on her social media accounts to stress her appreciation for literature and to promote cultural awareness. The hashtag is the actress' initiative for sharing what she reads and connecting with what her followers are reading -- like a book club. On her Facebook page, Sabry wrote "Because I love reading and I like sharing what I read with my loved ones and I also like them to share what they read, I thought of starting the #Kotobjeya through my pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to discuss the books that we read together, share excerpts from them, and exchange knowledge with each other.” Hend Sabry is among the most popular actresses in the region, and is currently based in Egypt and working in the Egyptian film and TV series. Her career began at the age of 14 when in 1994 she debuted in the Tunisian production Silence of the Palaces (Samt al Qosoor) by director Moufida Tlatli. Her first appearance in Egyptian cinema was in a 2002 production A Teenager's Diary (Muzakirat Murahiqua), a role which paved her way to stardom. Her later roles include starring in films such as A Citizen, a Detective, and a Thief (Mowaten we Mokhber we Haramy) in 2002, Downtown Girls (Banat West El Balad) in 2005 and Ibrahim El Abyad in 2009. She also acted in The Yacoubian Building (Oumaret Yacoubian, 2006), co-starring with an extensive cast of Egypt's major super stars. Her embodiment of an HIV positive woman in Asmaa (2011) brought her several awards. Apart from her many achievements in the cinema, Sabry remains active in social and humanitarian work. Since 2009, she has been working closely with the UN World Food Programme on raising awareness about hunger in the region. In 2010, Sabry officially became a WFP Regional Ambassador against hunger. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
