EXCLUSIVE: Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek, who is best known internationally for his roles in Boiling Point and Swimmers, is soon to hit the big screen in Egyptian father and son drama My Father’s Scent.
Deadline can reveal the first international teaser for the film ahead of its world premiere at the Warsaw International Film Festival this weekend, followed by its MENA premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival’s competition.
In one of his weightiest roles to date, Malek co-stars opposite Kamel El Basha, who won best actor in Venice in 2017 for his performance in Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult.
They play an estranged son and father who over the course of one long night are forced to sit with their memories, grievances and ideas of one another, and attempt to settle their scores and mend what time has broken.
Malek and El Basha are joined in the cast by Mayan El Sayed, Donia Maher, Hala Marzouk and Abed Anani.
My Father’s Scent is Siam’s first fiction feature after well-travelled documentary Amal (2017), following a rebellious teenager girl in the male-dominated landscape of post-revolutionary Egypt, which competed at the IDFA and Sheffield DocFest among other festivals.
Siam co-wrote the My Father’s Scent script with Ahmed Amer, whose writer credits include Cannes Critics’ Week winner Feathers.
The feature brings together a raft of rising Arab production talent. Cinematography is by Omar Abou Doma; the score, by Layal Watfeh (AlRawabi School for Girls); editing, by Ahmed Hafez (Moon Knight, Clash) with production designer, Asem Ali and costume designer, Nayera El-Dahshoury also on board.
The film is produced by leading Egyptian indie producer Mohamed Hefzy (All That’s Left Of You, Voy! Voy! Voy!, under his Film Clinic banner and Siam through his company ArtKhana, with Ingrid Lill Høgtun (Duo Film), Fady Atallah (B-retta Film) and Guillaume de Seille (Arizona Films) on board as co-producers.
It is supported by The Red Sea Fund, Sorfond Platform, The Norwegian South Film Fund, International Organisation of la Francophonie, Visions Sud Est, Doha Film Institute, Venice Film Festival’s Final Cut, El Gouna Film Festival’s Cinegouna platform, Malmö Co-production Platform, Swedish Film Institute, Karlovy Vary’s Eastern Promises and Cairo Film Festival’s Cairo Film Connection.
The film will be distributed in the MENA region by Film Clinic Indie Distribution. Arizona Films’ de Seille from Arizona Films is handling sales and festivals worldwide excluding MENA.
The post ‘My Father’s Scent’ Teaser: ‘Boiling Point’ Actor Ahmed Malek Stars In Mohamed Siam’s Father & Son Drama appeared first on Deadline.
