Umm Kulthum's heirs sued to pull the biopic "El Sett" from cinemas, and Egypt's Administrative Court ordered them to pay costs

Umm Kulthum died in Cairo in 1975 at 76. Her recordings have been the subject of a long fight between companies. In September 2020 Mohsin Jaber, head of Stars for Artistic Production, said a court ruling made his company owner of the rights to exploit her songs and that it had only licensed Voice of Cairo. Egypt's Supreme Council for Media had warned broadcasters to get written permission from Voice of Cairo. In June 2022 her granddaughter, Jihan el-Desouki, said the family was suing poet Nasser Dowidar, who had claimed the singer secretly married 11 times. He said his remarks were taken out of context. No ruling was reported. In December 2025 Synergy Films released "El Sett," directed by Marwan Hamed, with Mona Zaki as Umm Kulthum. Several heirs asked the Administrative Court to revoke the film's license and stop screenings, arguing it harmed her legacy and the family's reputation. The Third Circuit, led by Counselor Fathy Mohamed Sayed Helal, watched the film and rejected the suit. It called the film a drama, not a documentary, found the portrayal positive, and ordered the heirs to pay legal costs and attorney fees. The ruling was reported on 19 September 2026^†. No appeal had been reported.