# Istiqlal Ahmed

Istiqlal Ahmad (Arabic: استقلال أحمد), is a Bahraini actress and media personality of Iraqi origin. She was born and raised in Kuwait, but moved to Bahrain following her marriage and stayed there since.

## Biography

Ahmad was born a few months after Kuwait gained its independence, the source of her first name (from the Arabic word for “independence”). Her brother is the actor Kazem Al-Zamil. She was interested in the arts from an early age, participating actively in school theatre productions. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at the local Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, majoring in theatre, literature, and criticism.

### Performing career

Ahmad’s first public role was a 1975 teleplay entitled منى (“Mona”), which she starred in at the age of fourteen. However, her breakthrough role was in Darb al-Zalaq, a seminal 1977 satire in which she co-starred with Abdulhussain Abdulredha. This began a string of high-profile roles continuing through the 1988 serial الرجال لعبتهم النقود (“The Men Have Placed Their Bets”), her last role before she left for Bahrain.

### Marriage and retirement

After marrying a Bahraini broadcaster, she left for Bahrain and retired from acting. They had five children, including two sons and three daughters. She continued participating in media, however, and is a broadcaster and published poet.
In 1992, she began co-hosting "صباح الخير يا بحرين" (“Good Morning Bahrain”) with Aisha Abdul Latif. The show had a national reach, and Ahmad would remain an anchor there save for a short withdrawal in 2012.

## Career
### Television

Filmography :
| Year | Series or Teleplay |
| 1975 | منى (“Mona”), teleplay |
| 1975 | الوريث (“The Heir”) |
| 1975 | وذاب الجليد (“And the Ice Melted”), teleplay |
| 1975 | نورة (“Norah”) |
| 1977 | والدي العزيز (“My Dear Father”) |
| 1977 | الشمس فوق البطاح (“The Sun Shines on Filth”), teleplay |
| 1977 | Darb al-Zalaq |
| 1977 | دنيا المهابيل (“Dunya Al-Makhil”) |
| 1977 | ابن العطار (“Ibn Al-Attar”) |
| 1977 | إجازة أم (“Mother’s Leave”), teleplay |
| 1978 | Third Floor |
| 1978 | في منتصف الليل (“At Midnight”) |
| 1978 | بنت البادية (“Badia Girl”) |
| 1979 | الحظ والملايين (“Luck and Millions”) |
| 1979 | وعندما تحترق الشموع (“And When the Candles Burn”), teleplay |
| 1980 | Salamtak, special |
| 1982 | النساء لعبتهن الألوان (“Women Have Played Colors”) |
| 1983 | Khalti Gmasha |
| 1983 | غدا تبدأ الحياة (“Life Begins Tomorrow”) |
| 1983 | ألبوم صور (“Photo Album”) |
| 1985 | حكاية خلف الجدران (“Story Behind the Walls”) |
| 1988 | الرجال لعبتهم النقود (“The Men Have Placed Their Bets”) |
| 2019 | Ana Andi Nuss |

### Theatre

Acting career :
| Year | Play | Dramatist |
| 1976 | The Victim of Prosperity | Saad Al Faraj and Abdulhussain Abdulredha |
| 1976 | عالم غريب غريب غريب (“Strange, Strange World”) | Tariq Abdul Latif |
| 1978 | Sinbad the Sailor | Mahfouz Abdel Rahman |
| 1978 | Groom to the Sultan’s Daughter | Mahfouz Abdel Rahman |
| 1983 | توم وجيري عفوا جسوم ومشيري (“Yassim and Mishar Pardon Tom and Jerry”) | Fahd Al-Sultan |
| 1983 | أفراح والشجعان الثلاثة (“Afrah and the Three Heroes”) | Khalifa Al-Rabiah |
| 1983 | Fursan Al Manakh | Abdulhussain Abdulredha |
| 1984 | فرحة الأمة (“The Nation’s Joy”) | Abdulhussain Abdulredha |
| 1984 | الشاطر حسن (“Good Boy”) | El-Sayed Hafez and Mohamed Gaber |
| 1985 | Ali Baba’s Trial | El-Sayed Hafez and Mohamed Gaber |
| 1985 | حديث الديرة (“Hadith Deira”) | |
| 1987 | Antarah ibn Shaddad | El-Sayed Hafez and Sami Al-Faraj |
| 1987 | برشامة (“Rivet”) | Abdelaziz El Moslem |

### Radio

Broadcasting career :
| Year | Show |
| 1992—Present | صباح الخير يا بحرين (“Good Morning, Bahrain”) |
| 2008 | الجيران (“Neighbors”) |

### Film

Filmography :
| Year | Film |
| 1982 | القرار (“Decision”) |

## Awards

She won the 2008 Best Actress in a Radio Drama award in Cairo for her role in الجيران.