Pakistan, May 6 -- Lebanese actress and comedian Maya Akra has spent years building her career in both Beirut and New York. This year, she reached a major milestone when the film Anora, in which she has a role, won five Oscars, including Best Picture.

But for Akra, the recognition is just one part of a much longer story.

"I was raised by 'Comedy Central' 'The Nanny.' Fran Drescher was my hero," Akra told a newspaper. Her early love of performance was sparked at home, where her father, a filmmaker, recorded endless hours of her childhood on VHS. "Being in front of the camera has been my reality since I was a baby. I have hours of footage from my childhood, sometimes just talking endlessly like I was the host of my own show. Somehow that ...