There’s something about a Mariam Naoum and Karim El-Shenawy collaboration that has always caught our attention. Across their previous work together, the screenwriter and director have consistently found ways to turn deeply personal stories into conversations about bigger issues in society, from ADHD and gender expectations to marriage, family, and child abuse.
Now, with Anbar El Mot coming soon, the duo is taking on an entirely different genre while keeping that same interest in complicated human stories. Here’s a look back at their collaborations and why expectations are high for what comes next.
Anbar El Mot (Coming Soon)
Their newest collaboration moves into crime and thriller territory. Starring Menna Shalaby as Nadia, Anbar El Mot follows a hospital nurse who finds herself accused of intentionally killing patients.
The series is inspired by a real criminal case that took place in Alexandria in the late 1990s, involving nurse Aida Nour El-Din, who was accused of killing one patient and attempting to kill dozens more.
Rooted in a real case and gradually revealing its secrets, the series looks set to explore guilt, justice, and the circumstances that can push an ordinary life into extraordinary darkness.
Lam Shamseya (2025)
With Lam Shamseya, Naoum and El-Shenawy tackled one of their most difficult subjects yet: child sexual abuse. The series follows Nelly, played by Amina Khalil, after she discovers that her stepson Youssef has been sexually abused by a close family friend.
Rather than treating the subject as simply a crime story, the series looks at the responsibility of parents and adults, family dynamics, and the difficult conversations surrounding protecting children. Naoum described the story as a reflection of social reality rather than a retelling of one specific true story.
El Harsha El Sab’a (2023)
After the success of Khalli Balak Min Zizi, the duo returned with a very different kind of relationship story. El Harsha El Sab’a follows Adam and Nadine, a couple whose love story turns into the everyday challenges of marriage after having twins.
Instead of focusing on the dramatic extremes of divorce or the idealised romance of a new relationship, the series explores the quieter problems that build over time: boredom, responsibilities, misunderstandings, and emotional distance. At its heart, the series asks a simple but complicated question: what happens to love when real life gets in the way?
Khalli Balak Min Zizi (2021)
It all started with Khalli Balak Min Zizi, which introduced audiences to the duo’s ability to tackle serious social issues through an entertaining, character-driven story. Amina Khalil plays Zizi, a young woman whose explosive temper leads to her husband being seriously injured and leaves her facing a potential criminal case.
As the story unfolds, the series explores ADHD, anger management, relationships, and the way women can be judged within their families and society. Rather than reducing Zizi to her behaviour, the show asks viewers to understand what lies behind it, and to reconsider how quickly we label people without understanding their struggles.
With Anbar El Mot, Naoum and El-Shenawy are entering darker territory, but their interest in stories that leave viewers with questions remains. After three collaborations that have sparked conversations well beyond the screen, there’s plenty of reason to be curious about what they will do with a real-life crime story this time around.
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