Mohamed Siam
Directing
Biography
Mohamed Siam is a filmmaker and producer working at the intersection of narrative and documentary cinema. A member of the European Film Academy and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His work delves into questions of identity, power, and psychological depth. His debut “Whose Country?” premiered at the New York Film Festival, followed by “Amal”, which opened IDFA and won awards at Sheffield and over 100 festivals. His narrative debut “My Father's Scent” (2025) won five prizes at Venice Final Cut 2024.
Known For
Over the course of one long night, a father and his son each discover many secrets about the other, and together they try to overcome all the differences of the past and move forward.
My Father's Scent
A young Egyptian filmmaker recounts his interaction with a group of plainclothes policemen while grappling with issues of guilt and morality.
Whose Country?
Lebanon, 2018. War, politics or revolution: these are the choices faced by Georges, Joumana and Perla Joe. Three destinies and a shared desire to rebuild a troubled country. How is it possible to continue to dream when everything around is falling apart?
Diaries from Lebanon
Amal is 14 years old when she ends up on Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution, after the death of her boyfriend in the Port Said Stadium riot. During the protests, she is beaten by police and dragged across the square by her hair. This coming-of-age film follows her over the years after the revolution. As the film cuts between the unfolding current events and Amal’s rapidly changing life and appearance, we see her searching for her own identity in a country in transition. Amal is fiery and fearless, sinking her teeth into the protests and constantly lecturing her mother, who works as a judge. A girl among men, she also has to fight for respect and the right to take part, both in the street and in the rest of her life. In Egypt, even for a young woman like Amal—her name means "hope"—the choices open to her for her future are limited.
Amal
In the midst of the collapse, Adham (42), a morally torn policeman suffering from panic attacks, rescues Tanya (12), the daughter of Adham’s superior, from the chaotic Cairo zoo. The two meet and end up stuck together for the day.