The U.S. Embassy in Cairo is honored to support the 2024 Aswan International Women Film Festival. In partnership with Los Angeles-based nonprofit Film Independent, the Embassy awarded three Film Residency Awards that will send visionary Egyptian women filmmakers to Hollywood for tailored programming and introductions to industry leaders as they finalize the production of their fiction or documentary films.
The winners are Yomna Khattab, director of “50 Meters,” Sondos Shabayak, director of “And Me Too,” and Mavie Maher, director of “Fragile.”
During this week’s festival, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and Film Independent also conducted a four-day Creative Producing Workshop, led by U.S. filmmakers Avril Z. Speaks and Kelly Thomas. The workshop was designed to support and promote the creative expression of Egyptian filmmakers through short film projects and was open to emerging women filmmakers from Aswan and surrounding governorates.
The Aswan International Women’s Film Festival celebrates cinema as a medium to promote cross-cultural dialogue and showcases the best of Egyptian and international productions in documentary and short films.
Film Independent supports visual storytelling through a global community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision, seeking to inspire filmmakers, build an audience for their projects, and work to diversify the film industry.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo works cooperatively with festivals and filmmakers throughout Egypt, bringing American filmmakers to lead workshops, panels, and masterclasses to connect and strengthen the arts and cultural partnership between the United States and Egypt.
