Mohamed Hefzy

Mohamed Hefzy’s name rings out in the Egyptian film scene—actually, scratch that, the global one too. He’s the guy behind a wild mix of over 40 films, throwing out hits like CLASH, SHEIKH JACKSON, LUXOR, FEATHERS, HAJJAN, and FLIGHT 404. This isn’t just a dude making movies for the local crowd—his stuff ends up at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca. That’s a ticket to the big leagues, no question. But he doesn’t just sit back and produce. Hefzy’s out there on the jury scene, weighing in at Sundance and Venice, and he’s even run the show as president for Cairo International Film Festival—four times, actually. That’s stamina. Back in 2005, he started Film Clinic. Now, everyone calls it a game-changer for the Middle East and North Africa, mixing big commercial flicks with indie darlings. We’re talking more than 100 international awards. Not enough? He also kicked off Film Clinic Indie Distribution for Arab indie films and put together Meem Creative Circle, which dropped Netflix’s first Egyptian original—PARANORMAL. People noticed. Screen International tagged him as a future leader, while Variety stuck him on their must-know list for Arab cinema and the world’s 500 biggest media movers. The Hollywood Reporter and Arab Cinema Center named him Arab Cinema Personality of the Year. France even gave him that fancy Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres badge. Oh, and he’s in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Not bad for one career, right?