Egyptian romcom Snow White tells modern love story for little people

Mariam Sherif's spirited performance earns her best actress award at Red Sea International Film Festival

Actors Mariam Sherif and Karim Fahmy attend the screening of Snow White at the Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images

If there is one film that drew the warmest responses at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, then it is surely Snow White. Not to be confused with the Disney fairy tale, this contemporary Egyptian romcom is perhaps better described as a love story for little people. As we are reminded more than once in the film by Iman, the feisty heroine who stands 119cm tall, “little people” is the preferred description rather than the more offensive and outdated term “dwarf”.

“I realised that we have a lot of little people in Egypt,” writer-director Taghrid Abouelhassan tells The National at the film festival. “We have a third of the little people in the world and it’s quite rare to see one. Many of the children drop out of schools, because of bullying. Many adults hide at home. They’re not active or engaged enough in the community and I really wanted to tell this story to put the light on one of them, a beautiful strong Egyptian woman who takes us on a journey with her.”

Sitting alongside Abouelhassan is the winner of the festival's Yusr Best Actress award, Mariam Sherif. She plays Iman in a spirited turn as a woman who refuses to be cowed despite the challenges she faces due to her height. Sherif, who had little previous acting experience, says she wanted to send a message to audiences with the film. “They should know that little people are just real people, but just a couple of centimetres different. This was my main motive to take part.”

She wants to break the stigma around people of short stature. “One day, seeing a little person won't be weird. Stay kind and empathetic,” reads her Instagram account. Certainly, her winning performance will help; the film’s producer Mohamed Agamy claims her casting is a movie first. “We have some good Hollywood actors [who are little people] that are well known,” he says. But a little person leading lady? “We haven’t seen that before.”

A pharmacist by trade, Sherif immediately related to Iman when she read the script. “When she goes on the streets, walks by shops, uses public transportation, it’s actually the same experience for me and for all little people around the world. Not specifically in Egypt but in all the world. They get underestimated way too much. Every little woman or man in the world, they relate to Iman in many different ways.”

While Iman has no issue confronting her boss over financial issues, she struggles to reveal her true self when she meets a man online, pretending that her computer’s camera is broken so he has no idea about her appearance. Abouelhassan says she wanted to show the love life of her character, and Iman’s desire to find a man of average height drives the plot.

Mariam Sherif as Iman in Snow White. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival

“She is a young woman who dreams of Prince Charming, like everyone, and she’s so determined to feel loved for who she is,” says the writer-director. “I believe this relates to many people, especially with social media. A lot of people try to find love online, they try to hide who they are, and we all share this desire and striving to find ‘the one’. So I thought this would be a very interesting love story where we see her trying to find her true love, and not settling for anything, being strong and determined.”

As comic as Abouelhassan’s script is, it lays bare the realities of being someone of Iman’s size, from struggling to climb stairs to facing cruel taunts on the street. “I am trapped in this body,” she says in one of the film’s more poignant moments.

“Through my life I’ve met a lot of men and women who feel trapped in their bodies on so many levels. This is what I felt with Iman,” she says. “I thought this concept relates to people who are overweight or have anorexia … not accepting the body you are given.”

Sherif had no acting experience before filming Snow White. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival

By contrast, Disney’s live-action Snow White, a new take on its famed 1937 animation which is due for release soon, has attracted criticism. The film has come under fire for largely using actors of average height to play the seven dwarves. It was also criticised by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage for even being made.

Did Abouelhassan consider changing the title to avoid any backlash? She points out that Disney did not invent Snow White – it originated as a fairy tale, published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm – but says “at first I was thinking of choosing another title”. She considered calling it Not Snow White until members of Egypt's little people community persuaded her otherwise. “They said: ‘Why? She is Snow White! We’re proud of it.’”