Egyptian rising star Ahmed Malek born September, 1995 was selected by DIFF management to be in “Arab Stars for Tomorrow’’ program – Egypt Today
CAIRO – 22 August 2018: Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek was chosen among four international rising talented actors to be presented at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the festival declared on Tuesday.
The other chosen stars are Stéphane Bak, Josh Wiggins and Eleanor Worthington-Cox , notable in their respective home countries: France, the U.S., and England. The four stars acted in films presented in this year’s TIFF.
“From a young stand-up comedian (Stéphane Bak) to an Olivier Award-winning musical performer (Eleanor Worthington-Cox ), this diverse group is multi-talented and eager to make their mark. We’re so glad TIFF can provide this platform to help elevate them to the world stage,” Cameron Bailey, artistic director of TIFF, remarked.
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”, which is considered the then-15-year-old‘s first breakthrough role.
After the January 25 Revolution, Malek disappeared 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.
Malek's talents were finally recognized in 2012 after achieving great success in his role in the TV series “Ma’aa Sabk el Esrar” (With Premeditation).
In 2013, he played the role of a troubled teen in the series “Hekayet 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 Sept. 22 to 29, 2017. The film also screened at the 61st London Film Festival, which kicked off on Oct. 4, 2017. Egypt selected Amr Salama’s “Sheikh Jackson” as its candidate for consideration at the 2018 Oscars.
“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, but his strong relationship with Salafism reflects the contradictions in his life.
Comments
Leave a Comment