Biography
Kamla Abouzekri is a pioneering Arab filmmaker, known for her bold storytelling, incisive social commentary, and unwavering commitment to championing women’s voices in Arab cinema.
Abouzekri graduated from Cairo’s Higher Institute of Cinema and began her career as an assistant director and second unit director on several Egyptian films, including collaborations with director Nader Galal on 131 ASHGHAL, starring Nour El Sherif; HELLO AMERICA, featuring Adel Emam; and BELIA WA DEMAGHO EL ALIA, led by Mohamed Heneidy.
Her assistant director credits also include EL BAHR BEYEDHAK LEH by Mohamed Kamel El Qalliouby in 1995 and EL SAHER by Radwan El Kashif in 2001, both starring Mahmoud Abdelaziz. In 1999, she directed her first short film, QITAR EL SA’A EL SADISA, marking her first step into directing.
Her debut feature came in 2004 with SANA OLA NASB — a socially grounded comedy starring Ahmed Ezz, Nour, Khaled Selim, and Dalia El Beheri; and by 2009, she had directed her first TV series, 6 MEDAN EL TAHRIR.
Throughout her career, Abouzekri directed a plethora of unforgettable films, including MALEK WA KETABA, AN EL ESHQ WEL HAWA, and WAHED SEFR—which was nominated for the Venice Horizons Award for Best Film at the Venice International Film Festival and earned over 45 awards during its festival run— as well as the short film KHELKET RABENA, part of the collaborative film 18 DAYS by numerous directors, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
She also directed YOUM LEL SETAT, which opened the Cairo International Film Festival in 2016 and screened at over 20 film festivals worldwide, winning numerous accolades, including the Grand Prize at the Festival du Cinéma Africain de Khouribga in Morocco and the Audience Award at the Arab Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
On the television side, she achieved similar success with a string of iconic series. She directed BENT ESMAHA ZAT T along with Khairy Beshara in 2013 and SEGN EL NESA in 2014, both headlined by Nelly Karim, as well as WAHET EL GHOROUB, starring Menna Shalaby.
Her work over the past few years includes the Nelly Karim- and Asser Yassin-led hit drama B 100 WESH and her daring window into the lives of ISIS women in BETOLOU’ EL ROUH — starring Menna Shalaby — for which she won the Best Director Award at the inaugural Cairo Drama Festival.
In recognition of her iconic body of work and its indelible influence on the filmmaking industry throughout her long-standing career, she was honored with the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival and by Entissar El-Sisi, Egypt’s First Lady, during the 2024 Egyptian Women’s Day Celebration.
