Wahid Hamed to receive Arab Lifetime Achievement from DIFF

CAIRO – 22 October 2017: The Egyptian veteran author and scriptwriter Wahid Hamed will receive the Arab Lifetime Achievement Award during the 14th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

The festival, which will run from December 6 to 13, decided to honor Hamed’s accomplishments in screenwriting and his outstanding contributions to the filmmaking industry.

“The longevity and diversity of Wahid Hamed’s career is a testament not only to his great talent, but also to the importance of the talented writers in the industry. Screenwriting is a unique art that is the backbone of any story, without which directors could not build a compelling and impactful tale. We are delighted to welcome Mr. Hamed to Dubai to honor his talents with the Arab Lifetime Achievement Award,” DIFF’s Chairman, Abdul Hamid Juma stated.

“I am very touched to receive this prestigious award from the Dubai International Film Festival, and look forward to accepting the award in person in Dubai this December,” Hamed expressed.

Who is Wahid Hamed?

Hamed is considered one of Egypt’s most renowned writers with a career that spans four decades. He was born in July 1, 1944, in Sharqia governorate. Hamed received a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in the late 1960s, before embarking on a career in screenwriting.

His first strong and successful work was "Ahlam al-Fata al-Taer" (Dreams of the Flying Boy) released in 1978. This famous television series was the start of his longtime cooperation with the legendary Egyptian actor Adel Emam. Since then, both Hamed and Emam began an artistic partnership that produced many iconic, unforgettable films.


Among their most famous movies together is "Al-Erhab wel Kabab" (Terrorism and Kebab) in 1992, which is a black comedy discussing government corruption and the sufferings of the middle class in Egypt.

The duo also worked together on, "Al-Ghoul" (The Ogre) in 1983, and “Toyour al-Zalam” (The Birds of Darkness) in 1995, which tackled political corruption in Egypt and the appearance of the Muslim Brotherhood at the time.

Their most known collaboration took place in the famous controversial movie "Omaret Yacoubian" (The Yacoubian Building) in 2006, which was the first long feature movie for Hamed's son, Marwan Hamed, as a director.

Hamed also wrote the controversial movie "Al-Baree’" (The Innocent) in 1997; a movie that conveyed a controversial political message which made Hamed face a long censorship battle. "Al-Baree’" was screened 19 years post its production and only after the ending was changed.

In 2002, Hamed wrote the political comedy movie "Ma’ali al-Wazeer" (The Minister) again tackling government corruption.

Hamed received numerous awards from many film festivals. He was awarded for his movies "Al-Le’eb Ma’al Kobar" (Playing with Big People) in 1991, "Ehky ya Scheherazade" (Tell the Story, Scheherazade) in 2009, and "Ot W Far" (Cat and Mouse) in 2015.

His last television series "Al-Gama’a" (The Brotherhood) in 2010, and "Return of Al-Gama’a" in 2017, tackled the history and impact of the Muslim Brotherhood, since its emergence, on Egypt.

Hamed also established a production company titled Wahid Hamed Film Productions, to produce his and others’ works. He has worked alongside many veteran Egyptian directors in over 40 films and numerous TV series including Yousry Nasrallah, Atef al-Tayeb and Sherif Arafa, among others.

DIFF’s Lifetime Achievement Awards are awarded annually to the world’s greatest actors, writers, directors and producers. Previous Lifetime Achievement Awards winners include Gabriel Yared, Samuel L. Jackson, Sami Bouajila, Omar Sharif, Faten Hamamah, Adel Imam, Jameel Rateb, Sabah, Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Daoud Abdel Sayed, Youssef Chahine, Rachid Bouchareb, Souleymane Cisse, Nabil al-Maleh, Oliver Stone, Danny Glover, Terry Gilliam, Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Michael Apted, and Mahmoud Abdel Aziz.