The five Arab stars of tomorrow have backgrounds in directing, acting and producing.
A Screen International initiative launched in partnership with DIFF, the second edition of Arab Stars of Tomorrow has selected five young filmmakers as prospects for the future. Coined as part of DIFFs ongoing commitment to nurture the growth and prosperity of the Arab film industry, the initiative highlights young talent in an attempt to proliferate their profile on a global stage. The five talents have been curated and selected by Screen Internationals France and Middle East correspondent Melanie Goodfellow.
To boost the profile of the five ones to watch, a profile of each of the Arab Stars of Tomorrow will be featured in the DIFF/Screen International dailies, which will be published December 7-11 at the festival.
The inaugural Arab Stars Of Tomorrow, launched at DIFF in 2016, highlighted talents including Beauty And The Dogs actress Mariam Alferjani. This year Screen International has shortlisted a further five Arab Stars of Tomorrow with backgrounds in directing, acting and producing, who have already made waves in their respective fields.
The first of the Arab Stars of Tomorrow is Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek best known for his role as the young Hassan El-banaa in the series The Brotherhood, Ahmed in the series With Premeditation, and teenage womaniser Adham in the TV series Hayats Tale, for which he received recognition amongst Middle Eastern audiences.
Prolific young actress, Maria Zreik, began acting at the age of eleven and got her first major role on the BBC series The Promise when she was seventeen.
Up-and-coming Emirati actor Marwan Abdullah Saleh is set to make his first appearance on the big screen in Mohammed Saeed Haribs debut feature film Rashid And Rajab (2017), an Emirati film that follows Rashid, a wealthy businessman, and Rajab, a poor deliveryman, who mysteriously switch bodies following a car crash. Comedy ensues as they struggle to switch back and see their lives from a whole new perspective.
Following the world premiere of his short Five OClock at DIFF in 2016, Iraqi director Ayman Al-Shatri returns to the festival as one of the Arab Stars of Tomorrow.
Another rising Arab Star making waves as a director is Manon Nammour, hailing from Lebanon. Having graduated in film from Notre Dame University in 2013, she made her debut short film On The Ropes, which was showcased at Locarno and in the Muhr Awards at DIFF in 2016.
