Biography
Hamed boasts an impressive career spanning over 20 years in film production and direction, having also directed more than 300 commercials, TV drama series, and music videos.
A graduate of the High Institute of Cinema in 1999, Marwan Hamed began his film career in 2000 as an assistant director on the film Souq Al Motaa. During his studies, he directed two short films and several documentaries, with his 40-minute film Lilly, starring Amr Waked, standing out as a notable work. Based on a short story by acclaimed writer Yousef Idrees, Lilly achieved significant success, earning international awards such as the Prix du Public at Clermont Ferrand Film Festival, the Golden Award at the Carthage Film Festival, and the Silver Prize at the Milano Film Festival for African Cinema.
Marwan’s debut feature film, The Yacoubian Building, marked his breakthrough in 2005. Known as the largest-budget Egyptian film to date, it featured an all-star cast including Arab superstar Adel Imam and Yousra. The film was distributed in 12 countries across Europe, South America, and the Arab world, dominating the Egyptian box office throughout the summer and attracting approximately 200,000 viewers in France. It was showcased at prestigious festivals including the Berlin Film Festival (Panorama section), AFI Film Festival (USA), Cannes Film Festival, London Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival (USA), Marrakech International Film Festival (Morocco), and Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece). The Yacoubian Building received numerous awards, including Best New Narrative Filmmaker at the Tribeca Film Festival (2006), the Golden Eye at the Zurich Film Festival, Bronze at the Montreal Film Festival, and the Grand Prix at Festival du Monde Arabe in France.
Inspired by real events, Hamed’s second feature film, Ibrahim Labyad, starred Egyptian legends Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Ahmed El Sakka, Hend Sabry, and Amr Waked. The film captivated Egyptian audiences with its gritty depiction of slum life and intense scenes of violence. It screened at Le Marché du Film at Cannes, the Montreal Film Festival, and the São Paulo International Film Festival.
Marwan also directed the short film 19/19, part of 18 Days, a compilation of ten short films about Egypt’s January 25th revolution by ten Egyptian directors. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in the official selection for special screenings. In 2014, he directed El Feel El Azrak (The Blue Elephant), adapted from Egyptian writer Ahmed Mourad’s bestselling 2012 novel of the same name, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize that year. Starring Karim Abdel Aziz, Khaled El Sawy, and Nelly Karim, the film is a psychological mystery exploring the paranormal. The Blue Elephant was distributed in Jordan and the GCC states, earning 30 million EGP within 45 days.
