Naji Ismail
Synopsis :
Based on true events. In Alexandria, Mai acts as a parent to her brother as their mom is quarantined with a deadly disease. Mai wears a gas mask while delivering food, keeping the illness hidden. As her uncle threatens eviction and demands to see her mother, Mai counts down to her 21st birthday. On the final day, she reveals the terrifying secret to her mother.
Director Biography :
Naji Ismail was born in 1983 in one of Cairo underprivileged/poor neighborhoods, Ain Shams. A couple of years later he moved with his family to their village in Upper Egypt where he lived until he moved back to Cairo to join the Higher Cinema Institute from 2001 to 2006.
In 2010 he was selected among 20 directors by George Washington University for a scholarship on how to make a documentary. The scholarship was for 6 weeks.
In the second half of 2012 he founded “Rahala Production and Distribution”, a production company aiming to work on the production of low budget films yet with good quality, through a different production system that what is prevailing in Egypt.
In 2013 Naji written and directed short documentary “Om Amira” The film was screened in Berlinale 2014 in the short film competition.
In 2016 he written and directed short fiction “The Builders”, the film was screened in Dubai film festival.
Naji produced 5 films
1 -Om Amira 2014 -short documentary
2 -The Builders 2016 -short fiction
3 -Fathy Doesn't Live Here Anymore 2016 - short Experimental
4 -128 Blue-Fiat 2019 -short fiction
5 -Where Did Ramses Go? 2019 feature documentary.