Film My Design Introductory
Design Film Documentary
In efforts of kick-starting our initiative and simulating what we intend to do in Film My Design, we've invited 5 Egyptian designers and filmmakers to collaborate to tell 5 different design stories. The collaboration was exquisitely captured by Flink Studios, who worked closely with the Film My Design team to produce FMD’s first design film documentary.
Watch the film trailer here.
SCROLL DOWN to find out who our 5 designer / filmmaker teams are!
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ROOM NO. 9_FURNITURE DESIGN
AMR LAZ_FILMMAKER
Room No. 9 is a furniture and product design studio based in Cairo. Room No. 9 is led by incredibly talented and prolific interior designer, Yousra Yassin. Yousra has an uncanny ability to collaborate with local craftsmen in woodworking, fabric printing and upholstery. She is able to make use of the local talent and is successfully able to channel it into producing beautifully functional, Egypt-specific furniture and home products.
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Amr Laz is a self-educated aspiring filmmaker who took it upon himself to learn the craft of film editing. Film editing gave him a deeper appreciation of the filmmaking process as a whole, and it drove him to experiment with actually making films. He has been in the business for a little over 2 years and has developed a particular liking to commercially-driven film productions.
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CARO-LINE_FASHION DESIGN
MAHMOUD GAD_FILMMAKER
Caroline Yassa is an inspiring and talented 24-year-old fashion designer who has been in the process of making gowns ever since she was a little girl. At this young age, she already has her own “house of couture” and her very own business. Caroline is very passionate about making dresses that reflect her clients’ personalities, which is why she takes the time to get to know them at length. She is incredibly focused, passionate and goal-driven and it is for that reason that we chose her for the film.
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Mahmoud Gad is a self-taught photographer and filmmaker who first came to the field as a film enthusiast and admirer. Mahmoud was fascinated by the emotional impact of films, and decided to look up online filmmaking tutorials to learn the craft. Since then, Gad has shot a number of promotional and commercial projects, and has recently completed his first short film. He focuses on establishing an emotional aspect to his projects, so that people can relate to them and identify with its characters.
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KELOS GLASS_LIGHTING DESIGN
YOUSSEF TAYEH_FILMMAKER
Kelos Glass is a Cairo-based glass design and manufacturing business. It has been in operation for over 20 years, producing hand-made locally manufactured glass products.
Salma Hassaan is an Egyptian Product Designer at Kelos Glass. She has always been fascinated by the idea of integrating design thinking and artistic expression. She works with form and functionality as two complimentary elements that work together harmoniously. The result is always just that. A beautifully crafted, highly functional piece.
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Youssef Tayeh’s journey with filmmaking started with photography. He is a perceptive, Alexandrian-born photographer with an exceptional knack for visual storytelling. Photography allows him to tell stories through a single frame, and filmmaking gives him even more opportunity to expand and build up on that notion. He is interested in understanding his subjects' backstories; their feelings, and motivations and incentives. Tayeh communicates these remarkably complex ideas through film.
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GEBRL & OSMN_
GRAPHIC DESIGN
ABDELRAHMAN Dnewar_ FILMMAKER
Gebrl & Osmn is an independent art and design collective launched by designers/artists, Sarah Gebriel and Yasmin Osman. Even though Sarah and Yasmin have graphic design backgrounds, they think of their collective as an open exploratory space that blurs the boundaries between art and design. Gebrl & Osmn’s work is incredibly diverse and their products encompass everything from branding, poster design, traditional printing, painting, 3D animation, and audio/visual installations. Despite the diverse nature of their work, Gebrl & Osmn consistently apply the same design methodology and the same philosophy to their projects.
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Abdelrahman Dnewar self identifies as a filmmaker and a multidisciplinary artist. His work is sharp, bold and incredibly intelligent. He enjoys experimenting with different media and a variety of filming techniques to illustrate his ideas. His film topics are excitingly controversial, as he continuously tries to stir his audience’s emotions and to challenge their standpoints. His work is meant to make you think and it is deliberately and cleverly unsettling.
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QUBIX_ARCHITECTURE
MOHAMED ELWY_FILMMAKER
Qubix is a Cairo-based studio specialized in “Cargotecture”, the conversion of shipping containers into customized structural solutions. Collaborating with RDW Architects led by Fatma Moemen , Qubix is the first-of-its-kind in Egypt and was established by Youssef Farag and Karim Rafla. Qubix’s cornerstone idea involves transforming these containers into operable and livable interior spaces, ranging from residential spaces to o ices, gyms, F&B outlets, etc. Their idea is especially unique because it employs an unprecedented building technique in the Egyptian market. It is a sustainable, creative and economical way to create interior spaces that are smart and space-e icient, and that is why it was important for us to showcase Qubix in our documentary.
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Mohamed Elwy came to filmmaking from an Engineering background. He’d always been fascinated with the filmmaking industry, and decided to formally pursue a filmmaking career after graduation. We got to collaborate with Elwy more closely because he also worked on our overall documentary, as an assistant director. There is a great level of earnestness and diligence that define Elwy’s technique. His process is focused, methodical and clear sighted and that’s probably why he was able to ascend in the filmmaking world with such astounding strides in the span of two years. Elwy’s philosophy towards filmmaking is clear and refreshingly simple. He wants his films to instigate feelings of happiness, positivity, and drive for action.
