Morad Mostafa

Morad Mostafa (born December 1, 1988) is an Egyptian film director and screenwriter known for his exploration of contemporary Egyptian social issues, often centering his work on the struggles of women and refugees. His first four short films—Henet Ward, What We Don't Know About Mariam (2021), Khadiga (2022), and I Promise You Paradise (2023)—each received critical acclaim and won numerous awards. I Promise You Paradise won the Rail d'Or at the 2023 edition of the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics Week and was nominated for the French César Awards. His first feature film, Aisha Can't Fly Away, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Early life Morad Mostafa, an only child, was born on December 1, 1988 in Ain Shams, a neighborhood in northeast Cairo that features prominently in a number of his films.

Interested in filmmaking as a young teenager, he made his first film with a home-video camera when he was 15. He participated in workshops at Cairo’s Cinema Culture Palace and in 2009 had his first on set job working on the series Aghla Min Hayati (2010) written and starring Mohamed Fouad.

Career Following his first on location job in the series Aghla Min Hayati in 2009 Mostafa worked on several other productions before landing the role of assistant director to a series of Egyptian directors that included Hala Khalil, Sherif El-Bendary, Mohamed Diab and Ayten Amin on her 2020 film Souad (2020), Egypt's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.

Mostafa made his directorial debut with Henet Ward in 2020. A short drama tackling the issues of racism and discrimination, the story follows Halima, an Egypt-based Sudanese henna painter, and her young daughter Ward, as they head to a henna party in Giza. The film screened at more than 120 international film festivals and won over a dozen awards.

The director set another precedent with his feature film debut, Aisha Can't Fly Away, which became the first Egyptian film ever to win the Jury Prize for Best Film in Post-Production at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in 2024. Once again, spotlighting African refugees in Egypt, the story revolves around Aisha, a 26-year-old immigrant caregiver residing in Ain-shams, a Cairo neighborhood with a large African community.

Aisha Can't Fly Away premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival—the first Egyptian film to compete in the section since Mohamed Diab's 2016's Clash. Rail d'or Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival 2023 Outstanding Short Film Malmö Arab Film Festival 2024 Short Film Competition Whistler Film Festival 2023 International ShortWork