Ahd Hassan Kamel ( ar, عهد حسن كامل) is an actress and filmmaker from
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. She is known for her role in the BAFTA-nominated film, ''
Wadjda
''Wadjda'' ( ar, وجدة, translit=Wajda, ) is a 2012 Saudi Arabian drama film, written and directed by Haifaa al-Mansour (in her feature directorial debut). It was the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and the first feature-lengt ...
(2014)'' and for her role as ''Fatima'' in
BBC Two's
Collateral
Collateral may refer to:
Business and finance
* Collateral (finance), a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan
* Marketing collateral, in marketing and sales
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Collate ...
(2018).
Education and early career
Kamel grew up in Saudi Arabia and moved to New York City in 1998. She received a BFA in Animation & Communication from
Parsons School of Design in 2004 and a Directing degree from the
New York Film Academy in 2005. Kamel then went on to study acting under the personal tutelage of William Esper at the
William Esper Studio
The William Esper Studio was founded in 1965 as a school for the performing arts in Manhattan, New York. The school is dedicated to the acting technique of Sanford Meisner. Its founder, William "Bill" Esper, is often referred to as the best-kno ...
.
Kamel has written, directed and acted in her two award-winning short films, ''The Shoemaker'' ‘Al-Gondorji’ (2009) and ''Sanctity'' ‘Hurma’ (2012).
The themes of these films explore women issues in Saudi Arabia. As Hurma explores a widowed woman's attempts to save her unborn baby with limited means. The film was a selection of the
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...
.
As of 2022, Kamel will be shooting her feature film ‘My Driver & I’ which is a period film set in the 80s about a Saudi woman's relationship with her Sudanese driver. Kamel mentioned the film is based on her experience of living in Jeddah when women could not drive. The film will feature an Arab cast: Jordanian actress
Saba Mubarak,
Qusai (musician), Mostafa Shahata, and Baraa Alem (star of
Shams Al-Ma'arif (film)). The film is funded by
OSN,
Red Sea Film Festival Foundation.
Filmography
CINEMA
TELEVISION
Awards and nominations
* NOMINATED – Muhr Arab Award (The Shoemaker), Dubai International Film Festival, 2009
* WINNER - GOLDEN ALEPH for Best Short (The Shoemaker), Beirut International Film Festival, 2010
* WINNER – 2nd Prize, (The Shoemaker), Gulf Film Festival, Dubai, 2010
* WINNER - JURY AWARD (The Shoemaker), Oran Film Festival, Oran, Algeria 2010
* WINNER - Development Award (Sanctity) Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2012
* NOMINATED – Golden Bear for Best Short (Sanctity) Berlinale 2013
* WINNER – 2nd Prize (Sanctity), Gulf Film Festival, Dubai, 2013
Festival selections
The Shoemaker
* 2010 Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival /France
* 2010
Brussels Short Film Festival
The Brussels Short Film Festival (BSFF) has been run by the non-profit organisation "Un Soir … Un Grain" since 1998. It is an annual event and has taken place every year since its inaugural event, with the exception of 2020, due to the COVID-1 ...
* 2010 Women in Film/Canada
* 2010 Festival Amal/Spain
* 2010 Abu Dhabi International Film Festival
* 2010 Arab Film Festival, San Francisco
* 2010 Women in Film, Seattle
* 2010 International Film Festival Bratislava/Slovak Republic
* 2010 Ljubljana International Film Festival
* 2010 Berlin Interfilm International Short Film Festival
* 2010 Kettupäivät Short Film Festival, Helsinki
* 2010 Karama Human Rights Film Festival, Amman
Sanctity
* 2013 Sarajevo Film Festival Shorts Program
* 2013 Berlinale Shorts Program
References
External links
*
Ahd Kamel on VimeoVariety: Saudi Actress Ahd Kamel Segues From Role In Front Of The Camera To Behind ItHuffington Post: Actress & Filmmaker Ahd: The “Exceptional Arab Women in Film” SeriesThis Saudi actress will star in a new Netflix seriesThe Accidental ActressVogue Arabia: Meet The First Saudi Actor to Land a Major Netflix Role
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamel, Ahd
1980 births
Living people
Parsons School of Design alumni
New York Film Academy alumni
People from Jeddah
Saudi Arabian film actresses
People from Riyadh