Written by: Hader Hisham

There’s no denying that the Egyptian film industry is on the verge of a new controversial era of admirable films. Most people in Egypt these days, especially the youth, are focusing more on independent movies rather than commercial ones. Independent movies tackle social problems while the commercial ones take a head dive to rock bottom. Here’s a list of some of our generation’s best directors who are getting us hooked on the big screen:

 

  • Ahmed Abdullah

ahmed-abdalla

Ahmed Abdullah was born on December 19, 1979 in Cairo.  He studied music in the 90’s and began working as a film editor in 1999. He moved to feature-length films in 2002 and began doubling as a visual effects supervisor and credits designer until he got his directorial feature film debut Heliopolis (2009) with Khaled Abol Naga. A year later, he made Microphone (2010) again with Khaled Abol Naga, focusing on the contemporary music and the underground bands in Egypt. His third feature film was Rags and Tatters (Farsh w Ghatta, 2013) with Asser Yassin; it premiered at Toronto International Film Festival. His fourth film was Décor (2014) and the third collaboration with Khaled Abol Naga, also starring Horeya Farghaly and Maged El Kedwany. The movie premiered at London International Film Festival.

 

  • Ayten Amin

ayten amin

Born in Alexandria, Ayten Amin studied Film Criticism in 2001. She made a lot of short movies which were screened in international film festivals. Her most recognized film is Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Politician; co-directing with Amr Salama and Ahmed Abdullah, with her part of the contribution being The Bad. Her first and only feature film is the incredible Villa 69 (2013), starring Khaled Abol Naga, Lebleba, and Arwa Gouda. Although it was her first feature film, Ayten Amin did a tremendous job directing it. All I can say about the film that it’s a piece of art and a start of a promising career to the talented director.

 

  • Marwan Hamed

marawan hamed

Son of the great author Wahid Hamed, Marwan Hamed’s debut feature film was Yacoubian Building (Omaret Yacoubian, 2005) which was a great controversial film with an all-star cast including Adel Emam, Yousra, and Nour El Sherif. Inspired by true events, his second feature film was Ibrahim El Abyad (2009) starring Mahmoud Abdelaziz, Ahmed El Sakka, Hend Sabry, and Amr Waked. His third feature, and first collaboration with the best-selling author Ahmed Mourad, was The Blue Elephant (El Feel El Azrak, 2014) based on the best-selling novel of 2012, starring Karim Abdelaziz, Khaled El Sawy, and Nelly Karim. Hamed is now directing Diamond Dust (Torab El Mas) based on the novel also by Ahmed Mourad. Marwan Hamed’s unique directing style and talent carved his name as one of the best directors of his generation.

 

  • Mohamed Diab

mohamed diab

After he graduated from Commerce School, Diab followed his passion and went to study film-making at NYFA (New York Film Academy). His feature film debut was 678 (2010) which caused a huge controversy as the film was centered on the alarmingly rising rates of sexual harassment in Egypt, starring Nelly Karim, Boushra, and Nahed El Sebai. The film won many awards worldwide and was fared well notable in France. His second film Clash (Eshtebak, 2016), co-written with his brother Khaled Diab, was the Egyptian official selection to be screened at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in many years. Diab also wrote El Gezira franchise with his brother which is considered to be the highest grossing Egyptian and Arabic film. Mohamed is undoubtedly one of the best Egyptian directors of all time and is already recognized worldwide.

 

  • Amr Salama

amr salama

Born on November 22nd 1981 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Amr Salama never went to film school but instead it was his passion for the big screen that led him to his huge career. Salama would shoot anything; he started with short movies and commercials until his feature film debut On a Day like Today (Zay El Naharda, 2008) which he almost created single-handedly, from the writing, directing, editing to the montage. His second film was Excuse My French (La Moakhza, 2014), developed in 2009 but never got approved by the Censorship Board until 2014. It was based on his experiences at a public middle school in Egypt after his return from Saudi Arabia. Salama’s third feature film, what would become his second, is Asmaa (2011) starring Hend Sabry. The film follows the life events of Asmaa, a middle class woman, after she was diagnosed with AIDS. Asmaa brought Salama international attention and was premiered at Abu Dhabi International Film Festival. Salama tried a new experience with his third feature film Made in Egypt (2014) starring Ahmed Helmy and Yasmin Raes. No one can ever forget some of the hilarious and unique episodes of Saturday Night Live in Arabic directed by Amr Salama.

(SPOILER ALERT)

P.S. If you didn’t watch Asmaa, I recommend that you watch 678 first then Asmaa because you’ll witness a little treat from Amr Salama and Mohamed Diab.

 

In conclusion, I want to thank Film Clinic and the legendary writer and producer Mohamed Hefzy for helping most of these talented filmmakers to make it to the big screen and get us loving it all over again.