Fresh from the outstanding success of his latest series Lam Shamseya (Elephant in the Room), Enigma’s Deputy CEO Omnia Zaied sits down with Egyptian director Karim El-Shenawy to learn about his journey to success and how he has managed to captivate audiences, one production at a time…
They say you should never meet your heroes for fear they will disappoint you. But when someone’s art has moved you, stayed with you, and reshaped your sense of what storytelling can be, it’s worth the risk. For me, that hero was Karim El-Shenawy.
Filmmaker El-Shenawy doesn’t wear a cape, but you’d be forgiven for thinking he might well do so. Subtler than Superman’s flight or invisibility— his superpower is his uncanny ability to make you feel something deeply. The details in his work as a director, whether it’s the tension felt in a fleeting glance, the weight of silence between characters, or the intensity of emotions felt in a character’s face, are sure to leave you deeply affected by the narrative he so brilliantly conveys. Be it the mystery in Eyar Nary (Gunshot) in 2018, the raw emotions in Khalli Balak Min Zizi (Take Care of Zizi) in 2021, or the controversy in Lam Shamseya in 2025, each work leaves you with a lingering feeling you can’t easily shake.
Walking into our office in Zamalek, El-Shenawy is unfazed. He is neither arrogant nor shy—it’s as if he has walked in here countless times before, and we’ve known each other for years. After starting off with a most enriching general conversation about art, culture, and marriage, we begin our interview.
Born in Cairo in 1985, El-Shenawy always had an artistic side. Having loved playing the piano through his teens, he initially wanted to be a musician. As he grew older, his plans changed. He knew he didn’t want a nine-to-five job and felt he wanted to be “a storyteller in one form or another, doing something in the creative industry.” He studied at the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University, where he dabbled in photography for a while, before his graduation project catapulted him in what would become a passion for directing. The project, a documentary called Etegah El Marg (Marg Direction), went on to win the award for Best Short Documentary at the AJB DOC Film Festival and the Jury Selection Award at the Ismailia International Film Festival and started his journey in documentary filmmaking.
Wanting to get into feature films as well, El-Shenawy went on to pursue a master’s degree in Directing Fiction at Goldsmiths College, University of London, in 2011. After graduating in 2013, he worked as a First Assistant Director on some iconic films, such as Nawara in 2015 and Eshtebak (Clash) in 2016, which garnered 13 international award nominations and nine wins, including the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
El-Shenawy directed his first feature film, Eyar Nary (Gunshot), in 2018. A riveting watch, the film was a bold production about the January 2011 revolution, made while the wound was still fresh. It sparked a litany of creative reviews, analyses and political discussions. In the film, the body of a young man turns up at the morgue after a clash between demonstrators and security forces sparking a debate about who killed him. Reflecting on what led him to this storyline in collaboration with author Haitham Dabour, El-Shenawy recalls, “I remember the family gatherings back in 2012 when everyone had an opinion about the revolution. It made me think about how subjective the truth is and how everyone believes their opinion to be the absolute truth.” He and Dabour both felt that art is meant to inspire conversation and force viewers to look in the mirror and question how strong their values are when they conflict with reality.
Does the audience appreciate being faced with such dilemmas? That doesn’t worry El-Shenawy. His projects are all about what he believes in and what he sees in the characters, not what he thinks people will say. After his successful debut in cinema, El-Shenawy moved on to TV direction with Qabeel in 2019, Ahd El Damm (Blood Oath) in 2020, and Khalli Balak Min Zizi in 2021, the latter marking a pivotal moment in his career. It was his first work with writer Mariam Naoum and her writing workshop, Sard, and it led to many great collaborations later.
“What first attracted me to Khalli Balak Min Zizi was the character and genre. I was stuck in the neo-noir kind of genre, but this was dramedy, so I was excited to see how we would tackle it and deal with the topic without making it too dark,” he recalls.
Most people advised El-Shenawy and his crew not to release that TV series in Ramadan, the most competitive season of the year, arguing that it was more suited to an off-season slot. They even called it “a suicide project.” But he believed in it and the feedback was sensational despite the competition. “There’s an audience for every genre. There are over 120 million people in Egypt alone, so there should be something for everyone,” he insists, shrugging off the view shared by many, that he and Naoum are unique filmmakers who can mainstream the unconventional.
While El-Shenawy certainly appreciates success and positive feedback, these aren’t his primary focus. “I want to challenge the audience. While creating any project, my loyalty is to the story. It’s all about the process and teamwork. While I care about the feedback, I don’t get my validation from it,” he affirms. It’s the “process” of making films and series that he enjoys the most, attributing the success of everything he has done to that. “There’s no luck without substance, and good luck never comes alone. I believe in luck, but I also believe in momentum,” he adds.
Process, luck, and momentum worked for him once again with El Harsha El Sabaa (The Seven Year Itch) in 2023, the TV series tackling marriage issues, and with his most recent series in Ramadan 2025, Lam Shamseya, which deals with the sensitive topic of child sexual abuse. When he first received the project from Mariam Naoum in 2020, he knew he had to do it. It’s been a long journey bringing this project to light, but both El-Shenawy and Naoum knew they wanted to tell this story. “We believed it would stand the test of time, but we didn’t predict it would be an instant success, which is a reminder that the audience can surprise you,” he reflects.
Lam Shamseya is a testament to the strong creative relationship between Naoum and El-Shenawy. “Mariam Naoum and I share the same view of the world; we don’t judge people. I love working with her. We work as a team and there’s no ego involved. We push each other. I love being part of her writing room. I love the way Sard works, and I believe Sard will have a big influence on the industry and will create several great writers,” he says.
Another great creative relationship El-Shenawy shares is with the beloved actress Amina Khalil, who starred in Khalli Balak Min Zizi, El Harsha El Sabaa, and Lam Shamseya. “Amina has a great brain. She puts the project first. She makes it easy to create this culture at work. We all put our egos aside. She loves her projects, she loves working with the group, and she gives 100 percent,” he says.
The societal impact of Lam Shamseya was phenomenal, drawing viewers in and making them invested in the story’s progression. Shedding light on issues that are rarely discussed in mainstream media, the drama profoundly moved audiences. It gave a voice to voiceless individuals who saw themselves reflected in one or the other of the characters. And that is the essence of art.
Basking in the success of the series, El-Shenawy is now busy with the festival tour for his latest feature film Daye: Seret Ahl El Daye (The Tale of Daye’s Family), the story of a Nubian albino teenager with a remarkable voice who embarks on a journey from Aswan to Cairo to audition for The Voice Kids. As El-Shenawy describes it, “It’s like a fairytale, the kind of film you need to watch with your heart.” The film was in development for some time, and the hard work involved is already paying off with its selection for the official competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. Once the festival tour concludes, El-Shenawy is eager for the film’s release in cinemas.
So yes, I met one of my heroes, and it was all worth it. I found the man behind the lens to be as thoughtful and layered as the stories he tells. And I can’t wait to see what he does next. He teases that it will be a comedy. But whatever genre he chooses to explore, I’m certain it will come with a deep sense of humanity.