Egyptian Filmmaker Ayten Amin Talks Latest Film ‘Al Shanab’ & Favorite Genres To Explore

Through the wide film selection of the unique sixth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, one film in particular caught our attention and that is Egyptian filmmaker Ayten Amin’s ‘Al Shanab.’

Known for crafting complex dynamics such as on the hit TV show, ‘Sabea Gaar’ Amin doesn’t shy away from displaying relatable familial stories.

So it comes as no surprise that her latest film is a family dramedy. ‘Al Shanab’ stars the likes of major stars: Laila Ouli, Sawsan Badr, Lebleba in addition to Asmaa Galal, Haidy Karam, and many more.

The plot follows the story of the Al Shanab family and how they’re forced to confront one another after they have a family member pass away.

To get a closer look at the film’s theme, we spoke to the woman behind it all, Ayten Amin.

Amin shared how when crafting the story, the genre was a no-brainer as she leans toward the family stories. “It seems that I usually like the Egyptian family dynamics.” The filmmaker stressed that she gravitates towards creating these stories even if they have an underlying morbid theme of grief and funerals. “Even if you’re in a funeral and you sit and see how people are treating one another, it’s something nice and warm. I guess this is related that I also love my family.” 

We had to find out what was going through Amin’s mind as she was making the film, so we asked her, who was she among her family. “In my family, in the film, I can be seen through all of them.” 

Ending our conversation, the creative shared that her major resolution for this year was to make this film and she finally made it happen.

You can catch ‘Al Shanab’ now in the movies across Egypt.

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