Thursday March 28th, 2024
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Ahmed Malek Cast in Canadian Feature Film

Egyptian actor and heartthrob Ahmed Malek will be playing Basil who travels abroad for University after being cast in director Patricia Chica's first feature film.

Staff Writer

What with a certain fuzzy-headed footballer being the latest Egyptian to make waves abroad, there's a real danger that the world might actually start seeing Egypt in some sort of positive light - gasp - and now there's even more reason to hold our heavy collective head high.

Maybe, possibly, hopefully following in the footsteps of the likes of Amr Waked in carving out a prolific career in the west, Ahmed Malek has been cast in an upcoming Canadian feature. Luckily, Material Girls, isn't casting the young stud-muffin as a French-Algerian (read: token brown) police officer who's biggest achievement is smooching Scarlett Johansson.

The 2017 Screen International Arab Star of Tomorrow will be portraying an Egyptian medical student who heads to Canada on a university scholarship in filmmaker Patrica Chica's feature debut, some of which will be shot on location in Egypt.

“I went on a year-long quest searching for the right actor to play Basil [the hero of the piece]," Chica told Screen Daily. "Ahmed Malek is perfect for this role.”

Said role will see Malek's character explore Montreal and its underground lifestyle, where he gets a little taste of freedom, leaving his parents to live with his uncle; but he also attracts the attention of some troublesome women who begin to take an interest in the exotic foreigner. 

While this is Chica's debut feature film, she has plenty of experience with 20-plus shorts and a loyal fan base under her belt, while one of Egypt’s biggest film producers, Mohamed Hefzy, will be on board for the Egypt scenes.

Watch this space.

Photo by MO4Network