The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

 Featured image via Film my Design – Facebook.

Founded in 2018 by Israa Mahmoud Ibrahim, Nada Salem, and Farah El Refaei, the Cairo-based design film festival, Film My Design (FMD), has made it its mission to shine a light on the Egyptian design scene through the visual form of storytelling. Following the success of its first edition, which took place at Downtown’s Zawya, Kareem Cinema in February 2019, FMD paves the way to its 2021’s version with a unique programme called the Emerging Local Talents (ELT) Programme.

Tailored for all aspiring filmmakers and designers who are based in Egypt, the workshop-oriented programme serves as a bridge between local talents and experienced, professional designers and filmmakers.

“Application is open to emerging designers and filmmakers, including undergraduates, fresh graduates, individuals, collectives and studios. We invite all aspiring creatives, who come from Egypt’s rich creative landscape, to apply to the Emerging Local Talents programme. This includes designers who are engaged in fields like architecture, installation, interior, lighting, furniture, graphic, jewellery, fashion design, and filmmakers who are interested in independent productions, short films, documentaries, animation, feature films, and more,” says Israa Mahmoud Ibrahim.

In the 5-month programme, taking place from September 2020 to January 2021, talents will be led by Amr Orensa, Design Manager at Pinocchio Furniture, and filmmaker Karim Shaaban, working on collaborative projects that are set to be screened as part of FMD’s 2021 edition.

“Each team of participating designer and filmmaker will work hand-in-hand for a period of 5 months from September 2020 to January 2021. Each team will collaborate to produce educational, impactful and inspiring design-films that respond to the curatorial theme, covering topics that are most relevant to our local design identity!” added Nada Salem.

The ELT programme hosts a range of workshops, talks, and roundtables on topics like concept development, shooting, and postproduction. “These will be led by the programme curators, instructors, and speakers, who are established and incredibly inspiring practitioners in the design and filmmaking worlds. They are uniquely equipped to share knowledge and generate conversations on both a local and international level,” said Farah El-Rafei.

Several instructors will also be present to share their experience in editing, colour editing, and sound design to help talents refine their final project.

For more information on FMD and ELT, check out Film My Design’s Facebook page. To apply, head to filmmydesign.com