Arts & Films

About Films & Food

“Ann Al Aflam Wal Taam”

عن الأفلام والطعام

Filmmaker (writer, director and producer). He is the Co-founder of SEMAT Production & Distribution supporting Alternative/Independent Cinema in Egypt. He is a member of Jury in several film festivals. Also, a guest speaker/lecturer in several Universities in Egypt, conferences and workshops promoting/supporting alternative cinema. He directed many documentaries about the history of Egypt, 2 short narratives that were awarded in several festivals in Egypt "The directer wants that" & "meetings". He was a Co-Writer in 2 TV sitcoms "6 Tahrir square" & "Youth online". He wrote clay series "Diary of Oufa" & "Captain Ouais" and he was the script writer of a long feature film directed by Hesham El Shafeyee "Sokrate and Nabila".

Helmy Nouh is an Egyptian writer, director, and cinematographer and Analogue film development specialist. He was born on 1989. He studied filmmaking at The Higher Institute of Cinema, Academy of Arts, in Cairo. Then, He studied film techniques in Berlin, Germany and studied Visual anthropology at Cineimpact, Romania. He worked as assistant director in several Egyptian and international films. He worked as an Analogue film specialist at Andec Filmtechnik in Germany. He worked as a cinematographer in several films and TV productions produced by Arte, ZDF and others. His films were broadcasted on BBC. He has directed, written and produced a number of short and documentary films which have been screened worldwide and got several awards. Two of his films were in the official selection at Clermont- Ferrand int’l film festival (Paper Boat 2013 – Night of Love 2016).

He is a Danish anthropologist who has a Ph.D. from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, with a thesis focusing on local politics and customary law in Upper Egypt. He has earlier done anthropological field research in Yemen, with a focus on the effects of the marked and architecture of the old city of Sanaa on the social structures and hierarchies in the city. He has been teaching general anthropology and Middle Eastern anthropology at the University of Aarhus and the University of Copenhagen. From 2007 to 2010, he was director of the Danish Institute in Damascus and later (2015-2019) he upheld the position as director of the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (now Initiative) in Cairo. Today, he is the administrative director of Aarhus Kunsthal in Aarhus, Denmark.

Filmmaker (writer, director and producer). She is the founder and executive director of SEMAT Production & Distribution supporting Alternative/Independent Cinema in Egypt. She has led SEMAT, a cultural hub with links to a number of civil society organizations involved in the creative sector and youth in Egypt/the Arab Region. She directed more than 15 films and produced more than 10. Her long documentary ‘Women ChitChat’ won the Silver Prize at the Arab Rotterdam Film Festival in 2005. Her Latest documentary "From Cairo" won Best Non-Fiction Film Award in the Horizons of Arab Cinema competition at Cairo International Film Festival 2021, Best documentary in Malmo Arab Film Festival 2021, Best Documentary in Jerusalem Arab Film Festival 2021, Mention from Anhar a network for Human Rights Films Jordan. Since 2002, she initiated independent cinematic education opportunities for young talents. These open workshops provided young potential filmmakers with basics of filmmaking. She is a member of Jury in several film festivals. Also, a guest speaker/lecturer in several Universities in Egypt, conferences and workshops promoting/supporting alternative cinema.

Consultants

He is an Egyptian screenwriter and producer, with an evolving filmography of more than 40 feature films including worldwide acclaimed titles Clash (2016), Sheikh Jackson (2017), Luxor (2020), and Feathers (2021). He served as a jury member in various international festivals including the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and the 75th Venice International Film Festival. As of its 40th edition and for four consecutive years; Mohamed Hefzy was the appointed President of the Cairo International Film Festival. In 2005, He founded Film Clinic; the now pioneer production house in the MENA region with a variety of commercial blockbusters & Art house films that have participated in major film festivals worldwide including; Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca with more than 100 international awards under its belt. Later Hefzy founded Film Clinic Indie Distribution, with a mission to create opportunities for Arab independent films within and beyond festival circuits & Co- founded Meem Creative Circle which produced Netflix’s first Egyptian original series; Paranormal. Hefzy was cited among 30 future leaders in film production by Screen International, headed Variety’s list of Ten names you need to know in the Arab Film Industry and was among Variety’s 500 list of the most influential people in the media industry worldwide. He was granted the Arab Cinema Personality of the Year award by the Hollywood Reporter & Arab Cinema Center. Hefzy is an official member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences in the producers’ branch. In recognition of his significant contribution to the Arab film scene, He was honored as a “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” from France.

She is currently an independent scholar in sociology. She was an Assistant Professor of Sociology, SEA department, AUC, from 1991-2018, and the Director of the Middle East Studies Center (MESC), AUC, from 2008-2010. She is a co-founder and member of an open seminar in social sciences, Seket El-Ma’rif, since 2013. She is a board member of Cairo Papers since 2006. She earned her PhD from Durham University, UK, 1990, in the field of rural sociology. Her research revolves around agrarian relations, poverty alleviation and development, oral history, gender and nationalism, the Egyptian middle class and politics, food politics and culture.

Tutors

She is a social anthropologist based in Cairo. Her academic research and publications focus on agriculture and rural transformation. Her public engagement activities include advocating against the death penalty and initiatives to promote social science learning beyond institutional borders. She has previously held a number of positions at the American University in Cairo where she was an Associate Professor of Social Anthropology, the Director of the Middle East Studies Center, and a Research Associate Professor at the Social Research Center.

He is a documentary filmmaker, educator, programmer, and arts administrator. He passionately supports Arab and African cinema, offering expertise and mentorship to organizations as Rough Cut Lab Africa, Hot Docs-Blue Ice Film Fund, Doha Film Institute, and The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. Marouan's films blur the lines between fiction and documentary, utilizing cinema as agenuine tool of research. His last feature-length documentary "DREAMAWAY" achieved significant recognition. It was shortlisted for an Egyptian Oscar nomination and named the best Egyptian film of 2019 by the Egyptian Critics Association. His films are regularly featured at prestigious festivals such as Berlinale, IFF Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary IFF, London FF, Yamagata IDFF, Ji.hlava IDFF, and DOK Leipzig. Additionally, his work has been showcased in renowned international museums and events, with support from esteemed institutions. Since 2012, Marouan has been an Associate Lecturer of Film Production at the German University of Cairo - GUC, where he shares his knowledge with aspiring filmmakers, contributing to the industry's future in Egypt and beyond.

He is an Egyptian film producer; Safei has been working in the film industry for more than 20 years. In 2013, Safei founded Red Star for Production and Distribution, to produce a diverse portfolio of fiction and documentary productions that appeal to a wide range of audiences and create a bridge between art-house and commercial cinema. In a very short time, Safei was noted to be one of the most prominent producers in the Egyptian and Arab World Film industry. Prior to founding Red Star, Safei has worked as an executive director on a number of feature fiction films directed by Marawan Hamed including Imarat Yaqubian (The Yaqubian Building), Ibrahim AlAbyad (Ibrahim the White), and Al-Fiil Al-Azraq (The Blue Elephant). He was also the executive director of Intizar (Waiting) a Franco - Palestinian production, directed by Rashid Meshhewari. He recently produced, Al Aslyeen 2017, (The Originals) feature film directed by Marwan Hamed. Nawara 2015, feature film directed by Hala Khalil, Photocopy 2018, directed by Tamer Ashry, Dry Hot Summer 2016 short film, directed by Sherif El Bendary. As he is very keen on taking part in international film festivals, Safei’s films received more than 60 International awards.

She works as an assistant professor at Cairo University and broadcast program leader for the Faculty of Mass Communication- MSA University, where she regularly practices her supervision of broadcast graduation projects and documentary film production. With extensive experience in youth films, idea development, writing and production. Her passion is to encourage young learners and film makers to discover their potential and unleash creativity in a healthy and developed environment.

Director, producer. Founder of Seen Films, produced “The Mulberry House,” “Out On The Street,” “Homemade Stories;” participating in festivals and platforms such as Berlinale, Venice, IDFA, Cannes Atelier. He managed several industry programs including Cairo Cinema Days, Aswan Festival and first edition of CineGouna Platform. He currently leads Seen Studio.

She is an arts and culture manager and film festival director from Egypt. She is the Executive Director of MasrdotBokra’s Skills Development Foundation where she co-founded the non-profit Manassat Film Festival in 2015. Under her direction, Manassat has provided a platform to celebrate and award the young independent film scene in Egypt with a special focus on graduates and students, the festival has expanded in the past years to support the filmmaker’s journey from script to screen. From 2019 to 2021, Nadine managed The Panorama of the European Film Festival, which is organized and hosted by Zawya Cinema in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. The festival brings a diverse selection of European films to Egyptian audiences and fosters cultural exchange and dialogue. She also led special projects at the American University of Cairo’s Tahrir Cultural Centre in 2020, which aims to promote artistic expression and creativity in the region. Nadine has a BA in law from Alexandria University and started her career in child policy development at the Ministry of State for Family and Population. She is passionate about film education and women’s issues and has participated in various panel discussions and workshops at local and international film festivals such as CPH:DOX, Film O’Clock International Film Festival, Aswan International Women’s Film Festival, and Gouna International Film Festival. In addition to her work in film and culture, Nadine is also a certified enneagram life coach who helps clients discover and pursue their personal and professional goals.

She is a tourism expert, specializes in the cultural tourism, and the relationship between food and culture.

Participants