Sherif El Bendary (; born 29 September 1978) is an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and producer. His debut feature film was ''

Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim ''Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim'' (, transliterated: ''Ali Mizah wa Ibrahim'') is a 2016 Egyptian film directed by Sherif El Bendary. Plot Ali believes his late girlfriend's soul has been reincarnated in a goat named Nada. Ali, his goat and hi ...

''.

Life and career

Sherif graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in 2001 and then worked in textile factories. Later, he joined the Egyptian Film Institute in 2002 and graduated in 2007, where he currently teaches film directing. His directorial debut was the 2006 short film '' Rise and Shine'' starring

Hend Sabry Hend Sabry (, born 1979) is a Tunisian and Egyptian actress and producer. She is mostly known for being active in Egyptian cinema. Early life and education Hend Sabry was born in 1979 in Kebli, Tunisia. She studied law, completing a master ...

and produced by the National Film Center, the film won numerous awards locally and internationally including

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

. In 2008, El Bendary wrote and directed '' At Day's End'' based on a short story by the acclaimed Egyptian novelist Ibrahim Aslan. In 2011, he directed the feature-length documentary '' On the Road to Downtown'' and the short film ''Curfew'' which is a part of the

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise ...

'' 18 Days'' – official selection

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. In 2014, his short film ''

Dry Hot Summers ''Dry Hot Summers'' (, transliterated: ''Har gaf sayfan'') is a 2015 Egyptian short film directed by Sherif El Bendary. It was an official selection at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. Plot summary One summer day in Cairo cre ...

'' won the

Robert Bosch Stiftung The is a German foundation that owns a majority shareholding in Robert Bosch GmbH, from which it derives its funding. The foundation was established in accordance with the wishes of Robert Bosch, who died in 1942, and conducts and finances s ...

film prize from the

Berlinale Talents Berlinale Talents, formerly Berlinale Talent Campus, is the talent development programme of the Berlin International Film Festival (also called Berlinale). An annual summit and networking platform for 200 outstanding creatives from the fields of ...

campus, it premiered at

Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (French: ''Festival international du court métrage de Clermont-Ferrand'') is an international film festival dedicated to short films held annually in Clermont-Ferrand, France. It is the ...

and

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ) was the largest film festival in the Arab world, Arab region. With particular emphasis on showcasing Arab cinema, Arab, Asian cinema, Asian, and African cinema, it also helped to develop industry a ...

. In 2017, He released his first feature-length narrative film ''

'' an Egyptian/Emirati/French co-production, which won the Best Actor prize at

and was released in Egypt and France and many other countries. He also directed the TV series ''Al Gamaa Part 2'', written by veteran screenwriter

Wahid Hamed Wahid Hamed (; 1 July 1944 – 2 January 2021) was an Egyptian screenwriter. Personal life Hamed was born in Beni Quraysh, Sharqia Governorate. He moved to Cairo in 1963 to study in the Department of Sociology at Cairo University. He was marr ...

and was broadcast in 2017. He served as a jury member in several festivals including

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year since its inception, except for 2011 and 2013, when it was cancelled ...

El Gouna Film Festival The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF; ) is an annual film festival established in 2017, held in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, Egypt. The event is hosted by the El Gouna Convention and Culture Centre. The festival focuses on storytelling trends, ...

, and the Egyptian National Film Festival. In 2019, El Bendary founded Africa Films, a production company that mainly focuses on short and feature films by promising upcoming first- and second-time directors, and which will also produce ''Spray'', his second feature film.

Filmography

Feature-length films

* '' On the Road to Downtown'' (2011) (Documentary) * ''

'' (2016)

Short films

Television

* '' Al-Gamaah 2'' (2016) (TV Series)

Festivals and awards

References

External links

*
Sherif El Bendary
o
elcinema.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bendary, Sherif El Egyptian film directors 1978 births Living people Cairo Higher Institute of Cinema alumni