Mohammed Mamdouh was still a teenager when he screened his first film at a public festival in Abu Dhabi. Nearly two decades later, the Egyptian-born filmmaker and American University of Sharjah lecturer's latest short, Halal Dreams, will travel across international film festivals and collect a growing number of awards.
The film has already won more than 10 prizes worldwide and recently entered an Oscar-qualifying festival, placing it on a path that could eventually lead to awards glory on the world stage.
“Getting into an Academy Award-qualifying festival is a milestone because ultimately, we want the film to be seen by as many people as possible,” Mamdouh says.
So far, the short's festival run has taken place in the United States. Halal Dreams premiered at the New York Shorts International Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Documentary Film. It later screened at the Culver City Film Festival in Los Angeles, picking up Best International Narrative Short. The film also won Best Docudrama at the Los Angeles Short Film Awards and has screened at festivals including the London Global Film Awards and South Korea’s Sokcho International Food Film Festival.
The recognition marks a significant moment in a career that began when the UAE’s film scene was still developing. Mamdouh’s early short, Rise and Fall, screened at the Emirates Film Competition at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi, where it explored road safety and speeding in the UAE.
More student films followed, addressing subjects such as Islamophobia, terrorism and school violence. One of them won the Special Jury Prize when the Emirates Film Competition was held as part of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2008.
Mamdouh later travelled to the United States to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts in film at Vermont College of Fine Arts. His professional path, however, did not immediately lead back to directing. Instead, he spent several years working in brand marketing and media, holding senior roles at companies including OSN, StarzPlay and Dubizzle.
“I was promoting major shows and blockbusters, but I didn’t have enough time for my own films,” he says. “Teaching gave me the ability to do both.”
Today, Mamdouh teaches film and new media design at the American University of Sharjah. Working with students, he says, has allowed him to stay immersed in filmmaking while continuing to develop his own projects.
The idea behind Halal Dreams emerged during a visit to New York. Walking through Times Square, Mamdouh was struck by the sudden familiarity of hearing Egyptian voices and expressions in the middle of Manhattan. “For a moment you feel like you’re back in Cairo,” he says.
The moment led him to start speaking with halal cart workers in the area. What began as research for a fictional story, gradually evolved into a hybrid film that blends documentary observation with narrative elements.
The short centres on an Egyptian halal cart worker trying to stay connected with his daughter in Egypt while navigating the daily unpredictability of life in Times Square.
Mamdouh filmed the project at night, between 6pm and 3am, using a handheld documentary style. Many of the characters in the film were discovered on the street and agreed to participate after signing release forms. “It’s the hardest place I’ve ever filmed,” he says.
The unusual mix of documentary realism and scripted storytelling became one of the film’s defining strengths. Mamdouh says audiences at the New York premiere responded warmly, with many wanting to discuss the film afterwards.
The reaction from Western audiences has also surprised him. He had assumed viewers might be more drawn to stories closer to their own experiences. Instead, audiences appeared curious about the everyday lives of migrants who quietly shape cities such as New York.
While the film continues its international festival run, Mamdouh says he is still searching for the right platform to premiere Halal Dreams in the UAE.
Meanwhile, work is already under way on his next project. His latest film, Moments Apart, explores the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease through both a traditional film and an immersive virtual reality experience. The project places viewers in the perspective of a patient experiencing memory loss, with the aim of helping caregivers better understand the condition.
Balancing filmmaking with teaching remains central to Mamdouh’s approach. “It’s the perfect environment for an artist,” he says. “You’re surrounded by creativity while still making your own work.”
With Halal Dreams continuing to gain momentum on the festival circuit, the short represents both a personal breakthrough and the continuation of a journey that began with a teenage filmmaker screening his first work in Abu Dhabi.
