The Egypt-Denmark-Saudi co-production is produced by Ahmed Amer of Cairo-based A.A. Films and Patricia Drati of Copenhagen-based Good Company Pictures.
Egyptian director Yomna Khattab’s debut family documentary, 50 Meters, is set to make its world premiere at the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival (CPH:DOX).
The documentary will be showcased three times at CPH:DOX, beginning with its world premiere at 7 pm on March 24 at Dagmar Teatret, followed by screenings on March 26 at 9 pm at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, and March 30 at 2:15 pm at Dagmar Teatret.
Set against the backdrop of a fifty-meter training pool, 50 Meters explores Khattab’s journey as a first-time filmmaker as she grapples with personal and existential dilemmas. To bridge the emotional distance with her father, she turns her camera on him, employing fictional scenes and voice-over drafts to initiate deeper conversations. Through this process, she gains insight into their relationship and her own life choices, ultimately finding reconciliation with her father and herself.
“Turning 35 years old pushed me to a crossroads where I had to make choices related to career, and parenthood. I had questions related to growing old, loneliness, and mortality and I was looking for a clear answer. By stepping into my father’s only male world, I decided to use my filmmaking process to spend more time with him at this critical age and have an honest conversation about the universal fears of my generation,” said Khattab on why she chose to capture this slice of her life.
“It was like trapping myself in this confined pool during a whole summer to find answers, reconciliation with my own self, and finally acceptance of life’s harsh facts, so I can move forward with my life,” she added.
Meanwhile, producers Amer and Drati commented: “50 Meters is a labour of love that took years of developing, shooting and finishing up. This is a rare Egyptian-Danish co-production that got incredible talents from both countries to tell this very Egyptian, yet very universal story.”
“We made this project with the goal of showcasing intimate stories from the Arab World, that do not get enough space at festivals,” they added.
A co-production between Egypt, Denmark and Saudi Arabia, 50 Meters brings together a distinguished creative team, including composer Jonas Colstrup, editors Gladys Joujou and Khaled Moeit, alongside producers Ahmed Amer of A.A. Films and Patricia Drati of Good Company Pictures. International sales are handled by MAD World, while MAD Distribution oversees its MENA-wide release.
The film has received significant funding and recognition, winning the IDFA Spotlight Award at the Durban Film Mart in 2022 and participating in the IDFA Project Space in 2023. It has also secured multiple development and production grants, including the Red Sea Production Fund, Danish Film Institute Fund, Whickers Development Fund and nine awards from the fifth El Gouna Film Festival pitching forum.
Yomna Khattab, based in Cairo, originally pursued a Master’s in Economics at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne before transitioning into filmmaking. In addition to directing, she is an accomplished writer, having published the short story collection Videotape from the Nineties in 2015. Her feature film script Rokaya’ won Best Script from a Young Scriptwriter at the 2018 Sawiris Cultural Award.
