Malek in “Arab Stars for Tomorrow’’ program at DIFF

CAIRO – 8 December 2017: Dubai International Film Festival announced the names of the rising stars in this year’s “Arab Stars for Tomorrow’’ program.

The seond edition of “Arab Stars of Tomorrow” showcases five rising filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa; Marwan Abdullah Saleh, Ahmed Malek, Maria Zreik, Ayman Al-Shatri and Manon Nammour.

The 2017 program contains two actors, Emirati Marwan Abdullah Saleh and Egyptian Ahmed Malek; both have a following at home and are on the cusp of international recognition. The Palestinian actress Maria Zreik has starred in festival favorites “Villa Touma” and “Ave Maria.” She is in two films screening at DIFF this year, “Wajib” and “Detained.”

The two directors selected this year are the Iraqi Ayman Al-Shatri and the Lebanese Manon Nammour. Both are making short films exploring contemporary life in their complex countries. Al-Shatri directed two award-winning movies, “Warm Night” and “Five O’Clock,” while Nammour’s “On The Ropes” premiered at Locarno Festival in 2016.

Who is Ahmed Malek?

Malek was born in September 1995 in Cairo. His first audition came at the age of eight when his uncle took him to perform in a commercial.

In 2005, Malek had his first role in the TV series "Ayamna el Helwa" (Our Good Days). A few years later, executive director Osama Farid asked Malek to perform the role of young Hassan al-Banaa, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the TV series "The Brotherhood,” considered to be the then 15-year-old‘s first breakthrough role.

After the January 25 Revolution, he disappeared from acting for a short time, as he decided to focus on political and revolutionary activities. When director Gamal Abdel Hameed offered him the role of a young Egyptian revolutionary activist in the series “The Backstreets” starring famous actors Gamal Soliman, Leila Elwi, Samy El-Adl and Gihan Fadel – he could not resist.

He paid attention to his audience and his talents which were finally recognized in 2012 after achieving great success in his role on the TV series “Ma’aa Sabek El Esrar” (With Premeditation).

In 2013, he played the role of a womanizing troubled teen in the series “Hekayt Haya” (Haya’s Tale), for which he won the DG Award for Best Young Actor.

Seeing Malek’s impressive performance, director Sherif Arafa asked him to audition for a pivotal role in the second part of his movie “El Gezira.”

Malek’s latest movie, “Sheikh Jackson,” was chosen as the opening movie for the first edition of El Gouna Film Festival, which took place from September 22 to 29. The film also screened at the 61st London Film Festival, which kicked off on October 4. Egypt selected Amr Salama’s, “Sheikh Jackson” as its candidate for consideration at the upcoming Oscars, set to take place in February 2018.

“Sheikh Jackson” stars Ahmed al-Fishawy and revolves around the death of the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson. The plot-line focuses on an aspiring Imam who loves Jackson’s music and imitates the pop star’s performances. His strong relationship with Salafism reflects the contradictions in his life.

He was chosen by Shnit International Short Film Festival (SISFF) to be a jury member in November 2017, alongside famous scriptwriter Tamer Habib and Egyptian director Mariam Abu Ouf.

Recently, he participated in the Helm Foundation’s campaign that was launched on social media, starring Egyptian actors Menna Shalaby and Malek, to make Cairo University accessible to people with disabilities.

The campaign's video features Shalaby as a visually impaired woman and Malek in a wheelchair. Both have challenges getting around Cairo due to the lack of accessibility for people with disabilities.