Egyptian director Marwan Hamed will deliver the first masterclass in an upcoming series of masterclasses atthe 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival (March 12-21, 2020). The masterclass will take place on November 3 at 08:00 PM at the Saudi Art Council, Jeddah.
Ahead of launching the 1st edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2020, this marks the first masterclass in an upcoming series of masterclasses that will take place during the next few months. In his master class, director Marwan Hamed will talk about the art of storytelling, raising finance and creating successful Arab films.
Established with the support of Saudi's Ministry of Culture, the Red Sea International Film Festival is the first international film festival in Saudi Arabia, held in Jeddah Old Town, an ancient urban hub on the Saudi Arabian coast. The Festival aims to strengthen the Kingdom's burgeoning cinema and cultural scene along with discovering new voices from the Arab world.
Egyptian award-winning director Marwan Hamed possesses an extensively auspicious repertoire that extends over 20 years of experience in producing as well as directing films, in addition to directing over 300 commercials, TV drama series and music videos.
In 2006, Marwan directed his feature debut, The Yacoubian Building, which screened at some of the world's most prestigious film festivals, including the Berlin International Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. The film won numerous awards, including the Golden Eye Award at the Zurich Film Festival, and the Grand Prix at the Festival du Monde Arab France.
In 2014, Marwan directed The Blue Elephant (El Feel El Azrak), which won several awards at film festivals, including the Best Director and Best Film awards at the Egyptian Film Association Festival and the Special Jury Award at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), among many others.
In 2019, Marwan directed Blue Elephant: Dark Whispers, which made huge box-office success, becoming the highest- grossing film in the history of Egyptian cinema.
Marwan was selected as a jury member at a number of highly extolled festivals, including the head of jury for the Child Protection Award, within the framework ofthe Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2014, and a jury member at each of the Taormina Film Festival in2007, Montpelier Film Festival in 2008, Montreal Film Festival in 2010, Abu Dhabi Film Festival (New Horizons Competition) in 2011, and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Zurich. In 2019, he headed the Short Film Competition jury at the El Gouna Film Festival.
Earlier this year, America Abroad Media (AAM) announced the honoring of Marwan Hamed and his father, renowned screenwriter and producer Wahid Hamed, at its sixth annual Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.
