Biography
Ahmed Malek is a young and aspiring actor whose penchant for acting has cemented his name as an up-and-coming Egyptian talent. His exceptional acting skills were first recognized when he was picked for the role of Hassan Al-Banna in the TV hit THE BROTHERHOOD (2010), launching him to a new level, where he became a sought-after rising young star.
He worked with Egyptian star Ghada Abdelrazek and director Mohamed Samy in two TV series — MA'A SABQ ALESRAR (2012), for which he received the Dear Guest Award for Best Young Actor — and THE STORY OF HAYAT(2013).
Among his notable filmography is SHEIKH JACKSON, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and took part in the BFI London and El Gouna film festivals.
Moreover, he starred in CLASH — which opened the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival — HEPTA: THE LAST LECTURE — the highest-grossing romantic film in the history of Egyptian cinema — and NIGHT/EXT which held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Malek made a significant appearance during the 2017 Ramadan season in LA TOTFE' AL SHAMS, which captivated viewers and created a buzz on social media
In 2018, Malek was chosen for TIFF's 2018 Rising Stars Program.
In 2019, he made his international debut in Roderick MacKay's feature film debut THE FURNACE, co-starring with acclaimed Australian actor David Wenham.
The film world premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and had its Arab world premiere at El Gouna Film Festival in 2020.
In the same year, Malek was a panelist on the Arab Stars of Tomorrow panel during the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival.
In December 2020, Malek was honored by GQ Middle East with the Breakthrough Actor in 2020 Award in recognition of his journey and remarkable achievements throughout the year.
He was also on the cover of the magazine, which featured some of the world's best fashion houses, including Hermès and Dior.
He also appeared in Hadi El Bagoury's film QAMAR 14 alongside Shereen Reda, Yasmine Ra'eis, and Khaled El Nabawy. It premiered at the fifth Gouna Film Festival before being released in Egyptian theaters.
He also worked on BIMBO — an 8-episode drama by Amr Salama that was screened on Shahid.
He also appeared in the 13-episode TV drama INVESTIGATION, which was produced by Aroma and streamed on the WATCHIT platform.
In 2022, Malek starred in KIRA & EL GEN by the dynamic duo Marwan Hamed and Ahmed Mourad, the film based on Ahmed Mourad’s best-selling novel 1919.
Ahmed Malek also appeared in Ahmed Helmy's social-comedy film ANOTHER ONE, which was released on Eid El Fitr 2022.
Later that year, Malek starred in Netflix's THE SWIMMERS, a film based on the true story of Yusra and Sara Mardini, Syrian refugee sisters who made it to the Olympics.
Egyptian-British filmmaker Sally El Hossainy directed the film, which she co-wrote with British screenwriter Jack Thorne.
Furthermore, THE SWIMMERS opened the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), was featured at the BFI London Film Festival, and had its MENA premiere at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival.
Malek’s latest film MATAR by activist Hassan Akkad — who won a BAFTA for his BBC documentary EXODUS: OUR JOURNEY TO EUROPE — is currently available on WatchBear Network.
MATAR demonstrates how difficult it is for asylum seekers to live on London's dangerous streets, as well as how difficult it is for thousands of migrants to live in this country.
The script is based on the experiences of Syrian refugee and cinematographer Ayman Alhussein.
Malek co-stars in the film with BAFTA nominee Youssef Kerkour (HOUSE OF GUCCI, HOME) and Elmi Rashid Elmi (DUNE).
After his latest film's release, Malek was featured in Cartier’s Ramadan campaign alongside Dhafer L’Abidine, Tara Emad, and Hend Sabry.
The campaign blends Egyptians’ love for Ramadan riddles (Fawazir) with the equally popular game of charades, with each of them acting out a word in less than a minute as casually as possible, leaving it up to the audience to guess what the campaign is all about.
Furthermore, Malek recently concluded shooting a new BBC project with Stephan Graham called BOILING POINT, which is based on the film and follows the relentless pressure that builds up in a restaurant kitchen as a head chef wrangles his team on the busiest day of the year.
