Yazid Eldaly’s short film HOOKAH wins Special Jury Award at Alexandria Film Festival

 

Yazid Eldaly's debut short film HOOKAH took home the Special Jury Award from the 39th edition of the Alexandria Film Festival, which ran from October 1st to the 5th under the theme of ‘Cinema Dances and Sings.’

 

The gripping eight-minute psychological drama — which made its world premiere at the Sharm El-Sheikh Film Festival — sheds light on the harrowing realities of domestic violence and poverty faced by women, often leading to mental disorders.

 

Directed and written by Yazid Eldaly, HOOKAH stars Shaimaa Farouk and Ashraf Ramzi and follows the story of Badreya — a poor housemaid trapped in an abusive marriage with the unemployed Hassanein.

 

Determined to escape her grim existence, Badreya takes a bold step and buys herself a special gift. However, her husband's discovery of the present sets off a chain of events that unravel the narrative.

 

Yazid Eldaly is an Egyptian filmmaker who studied engineering and earned a degree in music theory and composition from the Royal Schools of Music.

Eventually, when he decided to follow his passion for filmmaking and storytelling, Yazid studied writing and directing and attended writing workshops with the famous Egyptian writer Ahmad Mourad.