Egyptian Media Hub poised to boost vibrant generation of filmmakers

The Egyptian film industry has a strong presence across the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and the Marché du Film led by Morad Mostafa’s Aisha Can’t Fly Away is screening in Un Certain Regard, the first film by an Egyptian filmmaker to do so for nine years.

The debut feature of Mostafa, a 2023 Screen International Arab Star of Tomorrow, is a thriller set among the African migrant community in Cairo. It follows a young woman whose precarious job as a caretaker forces her to rely on a local gang leader for protection. Buliana Simon leads the cast, with Egyptian rapper Ziad Zaza making his feature acting debut.

Produced by Sawsan Yusuf of Cairo-based Bonanza Films, who also co-wrote with Mostafa and Mohamed Abdelqader, the project has been developed at various labs, winning prizes along the way from Venice’s Final Cut, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Lodge and Marrakech’s Atlas Workshops.

Aisha Can’t Fly Away is a co-production with Mohamed Hefzy’s Cairo-based Film Clinic, along with Tunisia’s Nomadis Images; Saudi Arabia’s Cinewaves; Egypt’s MAD Solutions, Lagoonie Film Production and AA Films; Sudan’s Station Films; and France’s Dulac Productions. MAD World, the Dubai-based offshoot of Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab’s MAD Solutions, is handling international sales.

The title received funding and support from the Red Sea Lodge, Doha Film Institute, AFAC Film Fund, Cultural Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy), Cinéfondation, La Fabrique Cinema of Cannes, Cinemed Montpellier, Locarno Academy and El Gouna Film Festival.

Additionally, Eagles Of The Republic, written and directed by Sweden-based Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh, is playing in Competition.

Talent pool

The territory’s industry presence at Cannes is spearheaded by the Egyptian Media Hub, a newly created umbrella initiative that aims to celebrate and showcase the talent and capabilities of the Egyptian production sector.

Launched at Mipcom 2025 to represent some eight Egyptian companies, it has bulked up for its red-carpet debut and arrives in Cannes representing 13 companies. They span production, distribution, screenwriting, editing and visual effects, and will be based at a Marché booth sponsored by Egypt’s Ministry of Culture.

Egyptian Media Hub participants include Ali El Arabi’s Cairo and Los Angeles-based film production and distribution company Ambient Light Films, which backs local indie projects, production facilities company Film Square Productions, Hefzy’s well-established Film Clinic and Lagoonie Group.

Further companies hail from across the filmmaking spectrum, offering services such as editing and post-production (Shift), TV production (Best Media), script­writing (Sard) and cinema technology (Gemini Africa).

Producer Shahinaz El-Akkad, CEO of Egyptian production company Lagoonie Group, who also co-produced Aisha Can’t Fly Away, is the founder and driving force behind the Egyptian Media Hub. “I wanted to unify a number of entities under one umbrella to enhance the global reach and visibility of Egyptian content beyond traditional boundaries,” she explains. “Egyptian artistic content is in high demand across the Arab region, but we’re looking to expand further. The message is to come and work with us — let’s bring Egyptian culture and stories to international audiences together.”

In addition to Aisha, El-Akkad’s credits as producer include Hany Abu Assad’s Huda’s Salon, Omar El Zohairy’s Feathers, winner of the Critics’ Week grand prix at Cannes in 2021, and, as associate producer, Amjad Al Rasheed’s Jordanian drama Inshallah A Boy, which screened in Critics’ Week 2023. Her further credits include Jordanian director Bassel Ghandour’s The Alleys.

El-Akkad often works with rising talent, seeking out stories with compelling female leads. Lagoonie creative producer Farrah Halawa says Egyptian film projects reflect the fact 60% of families in Egypt are supported financially by women: “We have female characters from all socio-economic status — we’re rich in experiences and stories. That hasn’t been shown on screen until recently.” Adds El-Akkad: “We aim to represent our work at one of the most important global markets and to highlight our beautiful culture to the world.”

• Future Leaders 2025: film sales and acquisitions executives to watch