Abu Bakr “A.B.” Shawky (Arabic: أبو بكر شوقي) is an Egyptian-Austrian writer and director.[1] His first feature film, Yomeddine, was selected to participate in the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and was screened in the Main Competition section and compete for the Palme d'Or.[2] The film also won the Silver Tanit Award for Best Feature Film at the Carthage International Film Festival.[3]
Abu Bakr Shawky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 6, 1985 |
| Nationality | Egyptian Austrian |
| Alma mater | New York University Tisch School of the Arts American University in Cairo High Institute of Cinema - Egypt |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, director |
Early Life and Education
editShawky studied Political Science at the American University in Cairo, and Film Directing at the High Institute of Cinema in Cairo He received a Master of Fine Arts in Film & TV Production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2016.[4]
Career
editShawky's career in filmmaking began with short films, including "The Colony" (2008), a short documentary that won several awards at film festivals, and "Things I Heard on Wednesdays" (2012), which was featured at festivals such as New York Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival. His first feature film, "Yomeddine" (2018), brought Shawky international acclaim. The film premiered in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 and was Egypt’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.[5] "Yomeddine" won numerous awards, including the Francois Chalais Prize at Cannes, the Reflet d’Or for Best Feature Film at the Geneva Film Festival and the Silver Tanit at Carthage Film Festival. In 2023, his film "Hajjan" premiered at Toronto International Film Festival [6] and won several awards the following year, including Best Director at the Hollywood Arab Film Festival and Best Film at the Gulf Cinema Festival.[7] In addition to his work in film, Shawky founded Desert Highway Pictures LLC, an independent film production company based in Cairo, and has held positions such as Writers Assistant and Arabic Consultant for the Hulu TV series "The Looming Tower" at Legendary Entertainment.
Awards and Honors
editShawky has received numerous grants and fellowships, and was named MENA Talent of the Year award by Variety Magazine in 2018[8]. He has been featured in GQ Magazine as "Egyptian Cinema’s Dark Horse" [9]and listed among "Cannes’ Hottest Directors" by The Wrap Magazine[10]. Forbes Magazine has named him among the top five Arab directors on the global stage. [11]. His commercial work has also been recognized, with his commercial "Water From Another World" winning Best International Commercial at the Porsche Awards Stuttgart.
References
edit- ^ "DesHighPics". home | Desert Highway Pictures. Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
- ^ "The 2018 Official Selection". Festival de Cannes 2018. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
- ^ "'Yomeddine' wins the Silver Tanit Award at CIFF". EgyptToday. 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ^ https://filmmakermagazine.com/105330-the-long-road-from-nyu-to-cannes-egyptian-filmmakers-a-b-shawky-and-dina-emam-on-their-debut-feature-the-cannes-competition-title-yomeddin/
- ^ https://variety.com/2018/film/festivals/director-a-b-shawky-on-casting-egypts-oscar-contender-yomeddine-in-a-leper-colony-1203078250/
- ^ https://www.esquireme.com/culture/film-and-tv/abu-bakr-shawkys-new-film-hajjan-wows-crowds-at-toronto-international-film-festival
- ^ https://www.arabnews.com/node/2430041/lifestyle?
- ^ https://variety.com/2018/film/news/yomeddine-a-b-shawky-egypt-oscar-candidate-variety-award-1202947852/
- ^ https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/culture/ab-shawky-is-egyptian-cinemas-dark-horse
- ^ https://www.thewrap.com/15-cannes-hottest-directors-spike-lee-debra-granik-paul-dano-exclusive-photos/
- ^ https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/press-room/forbes-releases-top-arab-stars-on-the-global-stage
External links
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