CAIRO — Iranian director Shirin Neshat’s “Looking for Oum Kulthum," a movie that looks at the past and present of women's lives in the Middle East, has received a warm welcome from international and regional critics ever since its debut — but not in Egypt.

The film was shown to European audiences in Germany and Austria earlier this month, but the Beirut-based MC Distributors, which holds the screening rights in Egypt, told Al-Monitor that they are uncertain whether the movie will ever find its way to Egyptian theaters. The company is concerned that the film, which has been fiercely attacked by some Egyptian critics for inaccuracies and other faults, would flop in the motherland of the Egyptian singer.

The movie is a rare moment of harmony and artistic collaboration across the Middle East: Iranians handled writing and direction, Egyptians took on most of the acting and production was shared between Germany, Austria, Italy and France, in partnership with Qatar.

Co-directed by Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, the film revolves around an Iranian director who wants to make a movie about the legendary Egyptian singer Oum Kulthum and desperately searches for the right actress. The two lead roles are played by Iranian actress Neda Rahmanian as director Mitra and Yasmin Raeis as Ghada, an actress vying for the plum role of Oum Kulthum.