The coming-of-age drama with comedy was funded through Kickstarter and was recognised by NYU's Purple List and Abu Dhabi's Sanad Fund.
Abu Bakr Shawky’s first feature film Yomeddin is the first independent Egyptian full-length film to be part of the Cannes International Film Festival.
Yomeddin tells the coming-of-age tale of lifetime leprosarium inhabitant, Beshay (Rady Gamal). Accompanied by his orphaned companion Shika (Ahmed Abdelhafiz), Beshay sets out into the outside world in search of his kin; the same kin who left him at the leprosarium when he was just a child, as well as those of young Shika. Through a series of emotionally gripping and comedic events, the two venture into experiences hitherto unknown with just their donkey cart and a healthy helping of hope.
Shawky and his wife and co-producer Dina Emam, funded the film through Kickstarter, achieving $22,254 of their original $20,000 goal, and the film gained recognition at both NYUs Purple List as well as Abu Dhabi Film Festivals SANAD Fund.
