Egyptian Short Film Khufu Scores Success at Locarno with Three Official Competition Screenings

Egyptian Short Film Khufu Screens Three Times in Locarno’s Official Competition
The Egyptian short film Khufu screened three times in the official competition of the 79th Locarno Film Festival, drawing strong audiences and receiving enthusiastic responses from both viewers and critics. The screenings took place on August 8, 9 and 10, with members of the filmmaking team in attendance.

Khufu marks the short-film directorial debut of Egyptian filmmaker Mahmoud Assi and had its world premiere in Locarno’s International Competition.
Set in Nazlet El-Semman, a neighborhood at the foot of the Giza Pyramids where everyday life unfolds beneath the weight of history, the film follows Sayed, a 14-year-old boy caught between the expectations imposed on him by his community and his quiet attachment to his family’s ailing camel. As the pressures around him intensify, Sayed is confronted with questions larger than himself: How far can loyalty endure, and what does it mean to come of age in a place where deeply rooted traditions collide daily with the harsh realities of survival?

The film was developed with the support of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), following its selection as the winner of a short-film competition launched by WFP and Zest in collaboration with the El Gouna Film Festival. The initiative was created to support filmmakers with distinctive creative visions and help bring authentic human stories to wider audiences.

Filming on real locations also brought particular production challenges, most notably the coordination required for working with animals in an urban environment. To ensure the welfare of the camel as well as the safety of the cast and crew, the production worked throughout the shoot with specialist veterinarians and a professional animal trainer, ensuring that every scene involving the animal was handled with care and responsibility.

Khufu is produced by Zest and Fig Leaf, in co-production with Kit & Crew, Filmroots and Objective 9. The project is led by producers Abdallah Dnewar and Mark Lotfy, alongside co-producers Mina Nabil, Mahmoud Assi, Bahija Essoussi and Samuel Gagnon.
Additional co-production partners include Rio Media, Dioperez Films and The Flock. The film brings together collaborators from Egypt, France, Sweden and Canada.
The crew includes Fahmy El Naggar as Production Manager, Karim Marold as Director of Photography, Samir Radwan as Editor, Mina Nabil as Colorist, Ebram Steven as Production Designer, and Michael Fawzy as Sound Designer and Re-recording Mixer.
The film stars Hanady Abdel Khalek and Mohamed El Badry, with Ibrahim Ahmed and Haliana Petrova in supporting roles.