A long history of colonisation and autocracy leave Egypt a nation that, despite being rich culturally and ethnically, functions on divisions and hierarchies. The idea of diversity in a group or a team is as foreign as sushi, and unique expression is often seen as divergence, making collective progress held back, and potential unexplored. Wael is building connections amongst conflicting groups in order to promote diversity of background and thought, resulting in a creative group project.

“Through every phase in my life, whenever I became passionate or cared about something, I became an advocate, a warrior, and a person people wanted on their team.”

Wael is the founder of Middle West Films, a multimedia production agency which produces content ranging from theatrically released feature films, broadcaster commissioned feature documentaries, TV commercials, corporate and organisational video brochures, and branded content. In the last three years, he has worked extensively for the UN FAO and UN IDO in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Gabon and Cameroon.

When he’s not behind the camera, he spends part of the year as the director of Shnit Cairo Playground, which is the Cairo Chapter of the Shnit International short film festival taking place in nine cities around the globe simultaneously, sharing content and experiences.

In 2018, he initiated the Storylab project and launched Kidsflix, an afterschool filmmaking programme for kids between eight and 13 years in Cairo.

Photo credit: Stina Svanberg