Egyptian actress Rania Youssef charged over revealing dress

An Egyptian actress who wore a revealing dress to the Cairo Film Festival is to go on trial on charges of "inciting debauchery".

Rania Youssef appeared in a lacy, black, see-through outfit that exposed most of her legs, outraging many Egyptians, though some said she should be able to wear what she wanted.

A court in Cairo has fixed Jan 12 as the date for the first hearing of the trial of a popular Egyptian actress on charges of public obscenity. She could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty.

The complaint was lodged by a group of lawyers in Azbakeya court, claiming that she did not meet societal values, traditions and morals and therefore undermined the reputation of the festival and the reputation of Egyptian women in particular,

Rania Youssef appeared at the closing ceremony of the 40th Cairo International Film Festival in a dress that revealed the entirety of her legs.

Rania Youssef apologised

The 44-year-old said she would not have worn the dress if she had known it would cause such controversy.

The Egyptian Actors' Syndicate also criticised the "appearance of some of the guests", which it said "undermined the festival and the union".

In a social media post, the actress said she had "probably miscalculated" in choosing to wear the dress.

"It was the first time that I wore it and I did not realise it would spark so much anger," she said.

"I reaffirm my commitment to the values upon which we were raised in Egyptian society," she added.

The controversy overshadowed the final day’s events of one of only 15 film festivals in the world to hold the highest-rated A status. Egyptian production “Poisonous Roses” and Tunisian family drama “Fatwa” were the big Arab winners.

Egyptian actor Sherif Desoky won the prize for Best Actor for his role as a taxi driver in an Egyptian-UAE co-production “EXT. Night.”