Middle Eastern and North African cinema
The 1920s are a very important decade for the development of film industries in Middle East, and especially North Africa. Egypt became the center of the MENA in terms of its film industry. Many popular short and long films were filmed in Egypt, and production companies collaborated with Egyptian actors, cameramen, and directors. The American Aunt (الخالة الأمريكانية) is a short movie produced by Bonvelli in 1920, and it is one of the first to have an Egyptian actor play an important role. Later, in 1921, the film The Country of Tutankhamun (في بلاد توت عنخ أمون) was produced and was fully recorded by an Egyptian cameraman, Muhammad Bayyumi. In 1927 the first full-length silent film, Layla, was made in Egypt and it was fully produced by a native woman, Aziza Amir, who also played the female leading role. In Egypt, by 1928, there were two full length films produced annually, a number which is higher than other MENA countries at the time.