Abu Bakr Shawky
Abu Bakr Shawky is an Egyptian-Austrian writer and director. His first feature film, Yomeddine, was selected to participate in the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and was screened in the Main Competition section and compete for the Palme d'Or. The film also won the Silver Tanit Award for Best Feature Film at the Carthage International Film Festival.
Also recorded as A.B. Shawky · Abu Bakr “A.B.” Shawky
Abu Bakr Shawky
Abshawky · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Abu Bakr Shawky
- Born
- 6 November 1985
- Education
- New York University Tisch School of the Arts American University in Cairo High Institute of Cinema - Egypt
- Occupation
- Writer, director
- Nationality
- Egypt · Austria
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Abu Bakr Shawky is an Egyptian-Austrian writer and director. His first feature film, Yomeddine, was selected to participate in the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and was screened in the Main Competition section and compete for the Palme d'Or. The film also won the Silver Tanit Award for Best Feature Film at the Carthage International Film Festival.
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wikidata · Q52083815 · wikipedia · Abu Bakr Shawky
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Abu Bakr Shawky • Born — 6 November 1985 • Education — New York University Tisch School of the Arts American University in Cairo High Institute of Cinema - Egypt • Occupation — Writer, director
Early life and education
Early life and education
Shawky studied political science at the American University in Cairo, and film directing at the High Institute of Cinema in Cairo He received a Master of Fine Arts in film and TV production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2016.
Career
Career
Shawky's career in filmmaking began with short films, including "The Colony" (2008), a short documentary that won several awards at film festivals, and "Things I Heard on Wednesdays" (2012), which was featured at festivals such as New York Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival. His first feature film, "Yomeddine" (2018), brought Shawky international acclaim. The film premiered in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 and was Egypt’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. "Yomeddine" won numerous awards, including the Francois Chalais Prize at Cannes, the Reflet d’Or for Best Feature Film at the Geneva Film Festival and the Silver Tanit at Carthage Film Festival. In 2023, his film "Hajjan" premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and won several awards the following year, including Best Director at the Hollywood Arab Film Festival and Best Film at the Gulf Cinema Festival. In addition to his work in film, Shawky founded Desert Highway Pictures LLC, an independent film production company based in Cairo, and has held positions such as Writers Assistant and Arabic Consultant for the Hulu TV series "The Looming Tower" at Legendary Entertainment.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — English Title — Original Title — Notes • 2018 — Yomeddine — يوم الدين — François Chalais Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival • 2019 — 30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing (segment "Friday") — Anthology film • 2023 — Hajjan — هجّان • 2025 — The Stories — القصص
Activity and practice
Abu Bakr Shawky is recorded as having studied at New York University, The American University in Cairo and Cairo Higher Institute of Cinema.
Awards and honors
Shawky has received numerous grants and fellowships, and was named MENA Talent of the Year award by Variety Magazine in 2018. He has been featured in GQ Magazine as "Egyptian Cinema’s Dark Horse" and listed among "Cannes’ Hottest Directors" by The Wrap Magazine. Forbes Magazine has named him among the top five Arab directors on the global stage. His commercial work has also been recognized, with his commercial "Water From Another World" winning Best International Commercial at the Porsche Awards Stuttgart.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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