An Egyptian actress is set to face trial next month for wearing a see-through dress at the Cairo International Film Festival that showed her legs, a judicial source said on Saturday.

Rania Youssef appeared at the closing session of the eventon Thursday wearing a black lacy dress that exposed what some commentators described as a swimsuit beneath it.

This prompted two lawyers to lodge a case against her accusing the actress of "inciting debauchery", a charge that could land her in jail for up to five years if she is convicted, the source said.

The first legal case alleging obscenity was filed by lawyer Amro Abdelsalam and the second by Samir Sabri, another lawyer known for taking celebrities to court.

Sabri told the AFP news agency that Youssef's appearance "did not meet societal values, traditions and morals and therefore undermined the reputation of the festival and the reputation of Egyptian women in particular".

Her trial is scheduled to begin on January 12.

Pictures of the 44-year-old star left social media users divided, with some criticising her and others defending Youssef's right to wear what she wants.

"This dress and design is called 'I forgot my trousers while going to be honoured'," wrote one Twitter user, in Arabic.

Others frowned upon the criticism, with one user, Estella Joyce, urging Egyptians to drag themselves "out of the dark ages". (Aljazeera)