Rising Egyptian star Nour El Nabawy — represented by the Arab World’s largest talent management agency MAD Celebrity and known for his roles in the blockbuster soccer saga El HAREEFA — is set to headline Ali F. Mostafa’s highly anticipated CITY OF LIFE — CONTINUUM, the follow-up to the director’s 2009 hit CITY OF LIFE, which achieved the highest box office ranking in the UAE that year and became the top-grossing Emirati film of the 2010s.
Last year, El Nabawy landed his first leading movie role in Raouf El-Sayed’s EL HAREEFA, which racked over EGP 75m ($1.5m), becoming the highest-grossing Egyptian film of 2024 and the seventh in Egypt’s box-office history at the time of its release and single handedly revived the coming-of-age genre in the Egyptian cinema scape.
Its sequel, also starring El Nabawy, EL HAREEFA 2: EL REMONTADA, was released at the end of 2024 as a quick follow-up to the first film and enjoyed even more widespread success, with revenues surpassing EGP 128m ($2.5m). The soccer drama sequel is now the third highest-grossing film in Egyptian cinema history, pushing KIRA & EL GIN down to fourth place.
Sixteen years in the making, CITY OF LIFE — CONTINUUM stars El Nabawy as one of three central characters in Dubai on New Year’s Eve, taking on the role of Malek, a young high school student who moves to the UAE to attend college and seek a fresh start after his father's death.
Alongside Nour, the film boasts a stellar international cast that includes Emirati actor Saoud Al Kaabi who returns to the franchise after his breakout role in CITY OF LIFE; Australian actress Lin Yin; Egyptian actor Amir El Masry (THE CROWN); veteran Emirati actor Habib Ghuloom; Lebanese actor Alain Saadeh (VERY BIG SHOT); famous Turkish actor Kubilay Aka; and Austrian-born, UK-based actor Kayode Akinyemi (VIKINGS: VALHALLA).
Rounding out the cast are several British and American actors including Elodie Grace Orkin (STRANGER THINGS), Perry Yung (THREE BODY PROBLEM), and Chidi Ajufo (GLADIATOR II), in addition to Jason Flemyng, known for his roles in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON and several Guy Ritchie films and who also starred in the first installment, CITY OF LIFE.
Directed by Ali F. Mostafa, who co-wrote the film with Faisal Hashmi and Nidal Morra, CITY OF LIFE — CONTINUUM is also being produced by Mostafa through his Dubai-based company AFM Films, Dubai Studios, in co-production with Bold and Cairo-based MAD Solutions, which is handling the film’s international sales.
Nour El Nabawy is a young Egyptian actor who studied acting and theater at Santa Monica College and California State University before bursting onto the scene in the 2021 Ramadan series EL EKHTYAR S02 by Peter Mimi, which made him a social media attraction.
However, it was his second Ramadan outing in RAGEEN YA HAWA alongside the legendary actor Khaled El Nabawy, that really showcased his acting talents, earning him the Best Rising Actor Award at the Cairo Drama Festival and the Dear Guest Public Voting Award for Best TV Rising Actor.
Subsequent roles have included 5 GAWLAT, ELAGHAR by Yasser Samy, and El KATEEBA 101, where he appeared as a guest star opposite Asser Yassin and Amr Youssef and the Ramadan 2024 drama EMBRATORYET MEEM,based on a story written by Ihsan Abdel Quddous, in which he again starred opposite Khaled El Nabawy. El Nabawy’s most recent TV venture, the WATCH IT original series SIT SHOHOUR that marked his first leading role, premiered to widespread success, quickly achieving the highest viewership rates on the platform shortly after its launch in October.
Beyond his acting career, El Nabawy has broken new ground as the first Arab actor to feature in a YSL fragrance ad on TikTok. He also serves as UNICEF’s ambassador for the Shabab Balad Initiative.
