The film is an international co-production involving companies from Egypt, Tunisia, Qatar, Germany, Sudan, France and Saudi Arabia.
The Egyptian feature film Aisha Can’t Fly Away, directed by Morad Mostafa, is set for its MENA premiere at the Marrakech International Film Festival, with screenings scheduled for December 3 at Palais des Congrès, Salle des Ministres, and December 4 at Cinéma Le Colisée. The film marks Mostafa’s debut feature and is based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Sawsan Yusuf and Mohammad Abdulqader.
The project first drew international attention with its world premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival and further strengthened its reputation after winning the Final Cut Award and several post-production honours at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
The story centres on Aisha, a young woman navigating life in a Cairo neighbourhood home to a large African migrant community, where she must contend with gang violence, personal turmoil and a growing blackmail threat. The film explores themes of migration, economic pressure and the realities faced by marginalized communities.
Aisha Can’t Fly Away is a multi-national co-production involving Egypt, France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Sudan, and has secured support from major international institutions, including the Doha Film Institute, the Cultural Resource Fund, El Gouna Film Festival, Locarno Academy, Cannes’ Cinéfondation, La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde and Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole.
The film has already earned significant acclaim, winning top awards at the Red Sea Lodge, multiple prizes at Venice’s Final Cut and the Atlas Award at the Marrakech International Film Festival.
Many of Mostafa’s previous collaborators from his acclaimed short I Promise You Paradise return for the feature, including cinematographer Mostafa El Kashef, production designer Eman Elelaby, costume designer Nayera Eldahshoury, sound engineer Mostafa Shaban and editor Mohamed Mamdouh. The cast is led by Buliana Simon in the role of Aisha, with Egyptian rapper Ziad Zaza making his first appearance in a feature film, supported by Emad Ghoniem and Mamdouh Saleh.
The production is led by Sawsan Youssef of Bonanza Films and brings together a prominent international team: Dora Bouchoucha and Lina Shaban of Nomadis Images in Tunisia; Amjad Abu Alala; Faisal Baltayour of Cinewaves; Ahmed Amer of A.A. Films; May Odeh and Zorana Musikic of Mayana Films; Laura Nikolov of Co-Origins; Sherif Fathy of Shift Studios; and Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab of MAD Solutions, whose subsidiary MAD World is overseeing global sales.
