The CairoScene & El Fasla IMPACT LIST 2024

Being the auteur of your own success is never a simple script. It is a process of constant revision. To move too heavily is to invite the critics, always circling, ready to dissect. Speak your truth, but speak it carefully; the world has little appetite for the unruly or the unrestrained. In the end, what matters most is not the struggle but the shape of what remains. Those who appear on our annual Impact List have long abandoned the artifice of balance, casting it aside like a skin that no longer fits. Grace, for them, is not an affectation but a state of being. Their decisions are deliberate, shaped by a kind of selflessness that speaks in actions rather than proclamations. They do not concern themselves with the scaffolding of decorum, the brittle frameworks that others cling to. Instead, they pass through the world with a certain translucence - like light filtering through gauze.

In its eighth edition, the Impact List is an ode to the bold and the restless, a celebration of Egyptians who have carved their names in the sands of their homeland and across the vast expanse of the world. They are creators, visionaries, rebels in their own right, whose innovations ripple outward, catching the attention and stirring the admiration of a global audience.

The story of our country is no longer one of waiting or looking outward for answers. From the actor who brought the marginalised into focus on-screen to the fashion disruptors who reclaimed the streets with stories of their own, this year has leaned into the subtle force of soft power - a catalyst for something larger. As global boycott movements rippled across borders, the country turned inward, rallying around homegrown brands in a quiet but unmistakable solidarity. An Egyptian documentary claimed the Golden Eye Award at Cannes, reframing how we tell our truths. Meanwhile, an architectural photographer lent his lens to a global audience, reorienting how the world sees this place, its structures, its spirit. From the set designer who unearthed history by constructing a buried archive, to the Paralympic athlete and mother who, after a 16-year absence, reclaimed her place on the Paris podium with quiet resolve, these moments speak to something deeper - a reclamation and a refusal to be forgotten.

Every year, we remind ourselves that this list is not comprehensive. It is a glimpse - a curated selection of extraordinary Egyptians who, in their collective force, signal a new era of transformation. It is not meant to capture everything, nor could it. Instead, it offers a moment to pause, to reflect on the quiet but undeniable shifts taking place within our borders. These individuals are not isolated phenomena; they are part of a larger narrative, one that speaks to a nation reshaping itself, driven by ingenuity, resilience, and a refusal to be defined by the limitations of the past.

AHMED TAREK | Entrepreneur & 'Shark' - For Propelling a Tidal Wave of Entrepreneurial Ambition

In 2024, Shark Tank Egypt segued from television show to cultural phenomenon. By bringing entrepreneurship into the primetime spotlight, the show redefined what it means to dream big in Egypt. Week after week, viewers are captivated by the raw passion, creativity, and determination of entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to a panel of seasoned investors. The program has championed innovation as a cornerstone of success and placed Egypt’s burgeoning startup ecosystem under an international spotlight.

Shark Tank Egypt’s impact reaches far beyond the confines of a television studio. It has inspired a nation to believe in the power of possibility, transforming the way Egyptians perceive entrepreneurship. In a country with immense untapped talent and potential, the show has become a platform for turning ideas into impactful businesses, bridging the gap between ambition and achievement.

Central to this movement are the “Sharks” and Ahmed Tarek has proven to be one the show’s biggest breakout stars. Having spent most of his career intentionally operating outside the peripheries of the public eye, the oil and gas logistics mogul recently moved back to Egypt from the Emirates and has spent the last couple of years courting Cairo - or rather being courted by Cairo as he scours out investment opportunities in education, healthcare and most importantly, young upstart entrepreneurs wanting to change the world. A walking dichotomy, he clearly relishes in the flattering glare of the spotlight yet has no social media presence and refuses to pander to the niceties of polite society. He’ll say it as it is, play it as it comes, and Egypt’s entrepreneurs seemingly love him for it. 

Powered by the stellar success of the show, Ahmed Tarek, along with the rest of his shark pod, has become a beacon of possibility, his appearances on and off the screen acting as a siren call for anyone with a big dream and a pitch deck.

HATEM SETTIN | Vet & Animal Welfare Advocate - For Advocating for Egypt’s Horses

With over 15 million followers and nearly 9 billion views on social media, Hatem is one of the world’s most followed veterinarians. However, his internet fame is merely a byproduct of a singular, deeply personal purpose: to advocate for the well-being of Egypt’s horses.

Growing up in a small village in Mansoura, Hatem’s friends were obsessed with comic book superheroes. He, on the other hand, was obsessed with horses. A childhood encounter in which he was bitten by a horse should have deterred him. Instead, he was overcome with a desire to understand what had possessed this seemingly gentle creature to act out. Hatem decided that, when he grew up, he would become a vet. His career choice was met with plenty of ridicule and ignorance, but his passion would ultimately prove to be a salve and salvation for some of Egypt’s most poorly treated horses.

He first started posting on social media to showcase the beauty of Egypt’s horse breeds. But when he began documenting the pro-bono work he did outside of his private practice—spending endless days and long nights treating horses that had been mistreated, abandoned, and left for dead—his compassion captured the world’s imagination.

Today, Hatem uses his powerful platform to educate, inspire, and advocate for animal welfare, while creating opportunities for a new generation of veterinarians to carry the mantle of the invaluable work he does. "The only thing that matters to me," he says, "is the positive impact I leave behind."

MUHAMMAD TAYMOUR | Producer - For Making Independent Film Production Accessible in Egypt

The role of the film producer is vague. He is presumed to be the guy handing out cheques, but what happens when the film producer is broke? What happens when the job is to somehow find a way to secure scarce funding? Well, suppose it’s a low-budget independent Egyptian film that made history at the Cannes Film Festival. In that case, the answer lies with Muhammad Taymour, indie film producer and founder of the Egyptian Film Producers Club.

Following his historic win for 'I'm Afraid to Forget Your Face' (2020), the first Egyptian film to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Taymour became known as the producer who has the secret formula to global festivals. The ‘reputation’ of Cannes followed him, but that to him was unwarranted and unsustainable. So instead, he decided to share this invented formula, the secret keys to film production amid unprecedented and nonideal circumstances in an educational and communal space, one that can birth a new generation of film producers who too can realise cinematic visions despite all odds. 

Taymour’s EFPC became a gateway for scripts and ideas stored on hard drives and forgotten. Since 2021, this space has provided an answer to filmmakers and producers who were never formally taught how or where to start. It birthed a community of not only producers but dreamers.

This year, Taymour reaped the fruits of that same vision at El Gouna Film Festival, expanding his reach as an engineer of connection in the film industry as the head of the festival’s CineGouna Market for the second year in a row. EFPC was also an exhibitor, and the club’s alumni dominated the CineGouna Shorts competition, with four out of eight selected films developed at the club. It was a full-circle moment: where Taymour’s debut was once screened following global success, he returned to the same space—this time as a mentor, someone willing to share, guide, and teach.

Taymour’s production company, ‘Chaos Films’—a tribute to and embrace of the chaotic labour of producing cinema in Egypt—also carried on that same vision. The company’s first short film, ‘Mango,’ premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, the world’s biggest festival for shorts. For Taymour, stepping foot there as a producer was more than just a global accolade; it was a recognition of his nifty efforts to produce, despite all odds.

LELLA FADDA | Singer & Songwriter - For Being Egypt’s Most-Streamed Hip-Hop Artist

Lella Fadda [Le-lla Fad-da] - a name you’ll remember, and for those reading, one you’ll learn to pronounce correctly. She may have first appeared on the scene as a pop artist in 2019, but by 2024, Fadda had firmly planted herself in Egypt’s hip-hop terrain, a bold pivot that left her name (and her self-titled beat) on the lips of a generation.

Fadda’s journey began as that of a true polymath - an actress, a singer, and a songwriter navigating the intersections of storytelling and performance. Her acting debut in ‘Al Prince’ (2020), alongside Mohamed Ramadan and Naglaa Badr, marked her entry into the public eye. Yet, her songwriting roots run deeper, channeling a desire to craft music that reflects authentic lived experiences rather than chasing a hollow sense of soulfulness.

Initially tethered to the aesthetics of indie pop and old-school soul, Fadda shed those beginnings in 2024 to embrace the kinetic energy of hip-hop. January of this year brought the release of Fokak Meni, a track produced by Egypt’s Abyusif that samples an interview in which a journalist butchers her name - a moment transformed into a sharp, self-referential beat. It’s a declaration: Lella Fadda is here, and she’s making sure you get it right.

Her feature with Abyusif, ATTA3, continues its steady ascent on the charts. By 2024, Lella Fadda's Anghami streams stood at an impressive 4.8 million, with ATTA3 alone accounting for 3.1 million of them. On Spotify, her monthly listeners hover around 389,000, while ATTA3 has clocked 2.3 million streams. The music video on YouTube? A staggering 4.7 million views. These numbers make her the most-streamed female hip-hop artist today.

Yet, Fadda’s success is far from accidental. Her streams are a natural byproduct of her undeniable artistry. She doesn’t chase forced narratives; her music is marked by an effortless playfulness, a fluidity that feels entirely her own. Her lyrics, born from whatever lingers on the tip of her tongue, strike a balance that makes her impossible to ignore and her niche too loud to dismiss.

TAHA DESOUKY | Lead Actor, Hala Khassa - For Making the Margins Impossible to Ignore in ‘Hala Khassa’

For most actors, crafting the quirks and nuances of their characters is an essential part of the job. But what happens when the character is already determined? What do you do when their habits have been scrutinized under unrelenting observation, yet their nuances remain unfamiliar, unacknowledged, even untranslatable in the language of mainstream entertainment? Egyptian actor Taha Desouky found himself confronting these very questions in his portrayal of Nadim in the hit TV series ‘Hala Khassa.’ 

For Desouky, his task as an actor wasn’t to deliver groundbreaking interpretations of autism or to craft something entirely new. It was, instead, to observe, to study, and to offer his character Nadim - the unfamiliar, the often misunderstood - the space to exist. To be seen, digested, and experienced as a person beyond the confines of constructs and the weight of muddled interpretations. 

The process of understanding Nadim was one Desouky approached with quiet, deliberate care. He began by mapping where Nadim might fall on the spectrum, shadowing individuals who lived within its bounds and immersing himself in their world. He came to recognise their unguarded approach to self-expression, the way they navigated love, frustration, joy, and loneliness with a rawness that felt deeply intimate. Yet, it wasn’t just the grand emotional waves that captivated him - it was the quiet moments, the mundane exchanges. Ordering at a restaurant and being ignored. Harboring a crush and finding no way to express it. In these small, seemingly unremarkable fragments of daily life, Desouky found the heartbeat of Nadim, not as a character, but as a person.

“Learning how to grieve as Nadim was difficult,” Desouky tells CairoScene. “How is he going to distill the emotions that come with death? We cry because we understand we’re never seeing this person again, knowing that they now exist in a better place, but how do those on the spectrum translate death as a concept?”

Desouky’s portrayal was met with an unexpected wave of catharsis, not solely among those on the spectrum but also within their families and communities. Conversations sparked between parents and their children - moments of rare understanding unfolding on both sides. For some children, it was a glimpse into what it means to parent, to grasp the weight of care from the other side. For parents, it was the gift of being seen, their experiences - so often overlooked - reflected back at them with a clarity they’d long been denied; an overdue exchange of empathy.

MIRETTE ALY | Co-Founder TLT Concepts - For Planting the Seeds of Egyptian Hospitality Globally

A decade ago, The Lemon Tree appeared on the banks of the Nile, sliding unassumingly into the slipstream of Egypt’s burgeoning dining scene. Refined yet unpretentious, it refused to vie for the fleeting attentions of a fickle crowd always on the lookout for the hottest or indeed the hautest new thing. Instead, it curated a clientele that wanted something more than just a place to see and be seen.

The guests who would cozy up in the pastel-colored corners of this fresh-faced space seemingly needed a place to taste something meaningful. To feel something. Far from the madding crowds, The Lemon Tree was where form, function, and flavor made beautiful bedfellows.

Of course, give a people whose sense of self has been deformed and deflated by the vestiges of colonialism, something that feels extra special, extra curated, or indeed extraordinary, and their assumption immediately becomes, “Well, surely this must not be Egyptian.” As Mirette Aly, who founded the concept alongside her husband Ahmed Hanafi, says, “Everyone thought we had imported an international brand. Yet we had spent months building this idea from scratch, immersing ourselves in every detail of the concept.”

As it would turn out, The Lemon Tree was just Aly sowing the seeds of her vision. By the time she was done, the outside world would want a piece of this exceptionally and proudly Egyptian brand.

TLT Concepts has grown into a lifestyle and hospitality brand shaping how Egyptians experience food, design, and events. With restaurants like Villa Coconut and The Origins, retail spaces like Can Limon, and bespoke boutique hotel stays across the country, Aly has crafted a first-of-its-kind ecosystem where the tangible meets the intangible. Each touchpoint—be it a meal, a chandelier, or a curated space—reflects her vision: authentic, immersive, and unmistakably hers.

In 2024, she took the next bold step, bringing The Lemon Tree to Athens. It was both a risk and a statement a decade in the making: with roots firmly planted in the homeland, Egypt’s best could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s finest.

By 2025, Aly will have taken TLT Concepts to Dubai, further expanding her vision for Egyptian hospitality that transcends borders. With every restaurant, hotel, and experience, Mirette Aly is redefining what it means to build a legacy—one idea, one city, and one unforgettable moment at a time.

SHAHIRA & AHMED LASHEEN | Founders, Shahira Lasheen - For Designing Egypt's First Multi-Sensory Digital Fashion Showcase

For Shahira, Ahmed and Sarah Lasheen, fashion is a fantasy best told in one’s mother tongue. Their childhood was shaped by the kind of make-believe that feels like a blueprint in disguise - fictitious worlds where they traded CEO titles and bickered like customers. Among their many games was an empire waiting to be built, rehearsed through the constant, earnest play of children who didn’t yet know they were speaking their future into existence.

2024 was no easy year for the Shahira Lasheen as a label. Nearly a decade has passed since they first began weaving their personal narrative into their collections, but the last four years have been dominated by their effort to tell the story of ‘Al Qahira 20.’ It’s a narrative of culture turned inward, a mirror held to the City’s shifting geographies. Through intricate beading, layered textiles, and a palette of shapes and colour-ways, they trace Cairo’s essence - from its searing urban landscapes to its lush, verdant streets, capturing the rhythm of a place that is as restless as it is rooted. 

At Dahab Palace, ‘Al Qahira 20’ made its debut as Egypt’s first digital showcase for a couture collection of its scale, drawing the city’s cultural cognoscenti to a single historic site. The soundtrack, as layered as the collection itself, was a collaboration between Egyptian producer Molotof and his mother, the writer and poet Reem Khairy Shalaby. 

Over the years, the Lasheen family has watched Egypt’s fashion industry evolve from a tightly knit circle of a few established houses into something far more dynamic. What was once a small, insular scene has opened into a movement, alive with energy, driven by creators who embrace everything from street culture to couture, from ready-to-wear to fine jewellery. It’s a shift that feels both unexpected and entirely overdue, a sign of an industry coming into its own. 

What they’ve done with their digital showcase is quietly radical: they’ve shown that fashion doesn’t have to exist solely within the polished confines of glossy editorials or the hushed exclusivity of showrooms. In an era where the chronically online are fed a conveyor belt of endless information, it feels almost necessary - dutiful, even - for the fashion industry to question its role and sharpen its approach. ‘Al Qahira’ 20 is a conversation. It speaks to ‘Al Qahira’ as it is now, as it was then, and as it might one day become.

NADIA FIKRY | Paralympic Athlete - For Winning the Weightlifting Bronze at the Paris Paralympics

There are rules for women - unspoken but insidious. Achieve by a certain age, step aside by another, and accept the silence when the world decides your story is over. Occasionally, though, someone refuses. Not with noise, but with presence. In 2024, that refusal belonged to Nadia Fikry. At 50, the bronze-winning powerlifter returned to the global Paralympic stage in Paris after a 16-year absence, lifting the far heavier burden of expectation - the belief that a woman’s strength must wane with time.

Fikry’s journey began, fittingly, with defiance. As a child, swimming was both therapy and rebellion, movement that proved presence. Years later, flipping channels, she caught sight of a Paralympic powerlifter - a flicker of possibility so startling it changed her course. She sought the woman out, thanked her, and began her own relentless pursuit of strength. 

Fikry’s rise was steady, deliberate - a collection of bronze and silver medals earned as a Paralympian in 2000, 2004, and 2008. In 2024, after nearly two decades away, she returned to the stage that had always felt like home. Her comeback, though extraordinary, was marked by a quiet, unwavering resolve. As she trained, her husband - a fellow Paralympian - stepped back, staying home with their children so Fikry could step forward. At 50, she became the oldest Arab athlete to claim a Paralympic medal, earning bronze in the fiercely contested 86-kilogram powerlifting category.

It wasn’t easy. Joints ache, bodies lose their once-slick precision, and time keeps a tally that cannot be ignored. Fikry knew this. She also knew that to rise above is to rise in spite of, that her message would speak louder than the protests of aching bones.

In her return, Fikry dismantles the notion that success runs on a fixed timeline, that the clock dictates when victories are permitted and when they expire. She doesn’t oppose expectations so much as interrogate them, charting a perpendicular path. In her relentless pursuit of personal progress, Fikry exposes the hollowness of social constructs, daring to prove that ‘too late’ is just a timeline she refuses to ascribe to.

MEDHAT EHAB | Co-Founder, PÀO - For Brewing a Boba Craze That Swept the Country

What is bubble tea? For most Egyptians, it once sat on the margins of imagination, a faint notion plucked from Taiwan, swimming lazily in sweet, milky brews. By the end of 2024, however, bubble tea - or boba as the initiated call it - has become as commonplace as koshari on a lunch table, its cups held tightly across Cairo, from the coastal crush of the North Coast to the polished sprawl of New Cairo. At the center of this transformation sits Egypt’s PÀO. 

PÀO is the kind of story that feels predestined in hindsight. What began as a personal craving turned into unquenchable country-wide thirst. In February 2023, Medhat Ehab, alongside his sisters Nada and Narima, parked a modest truck at The Drive by the Waterway. By the height of summer, PÀO had made its way to Egypt’s North Coast - etching itself into summer’s collective consciousness. 

Their product lines ravenously expanded to include croffles, soft-serve, coffee and a savoury menu. Six city-wide branches and multiple shoreside pop-ups annually serve as cornerstones that mark the people’s insatiable demand for more. 

But what does PÀO rise stand for? For Medhat and his sisters, PÀO is a well that refuses to run dry. It is proof that cultural exchanges are rarely planned but always felt that sometimes a single offering can rewrite a city’s food culture script. It’s the flavour of right now, yes, but it’s also the sound of something settling into place, rooting itself in the landscape.

SHAHIRA FAHMY | Architect, Dar Tantora - For Redefining Heritage Design With Dar Tantora in Saudi Arabia

Ever since launching her eponymous architectural firm in 2005, Shahira Fahmy has garnered global acclaim as an imaginative innovator able to navigate two disparate worlds. She is regularly called upon by the global cool-cognoscenti to craft their contemporary haute-hubs while being in high demand in spaces where heritage takes centre stage and her reverence for the past segues into compelling structures that tell the stories of what was and what can be. 

Her nebulous journey - indeed a brief post-revolution foray into acting saw her make her mark on the festival circuit to much critical acclaim - is littered with prestigious international awards. Her work has been lauded in some of the world’s most impactful design publications including Top 50 Beautiful Homes, Atlas of World Interior Design and the Andrew Martin Interior Design Review. 

2024 saw Fahmy wow the world with her evocative work on the Dar Tantora boutique hotel in Alula, Saudi Arabia. The project was promptly named one of Time Magazine’s ‘World’s Greatest Places’. An ode to the magic and mystery of the storied desert-scape it calls home, Dar Tantora sensitively and spectacularly reimagines ancient aesthetics, intertwining traditional  techniques with a sustainable future. This lush culmination of Fahmy’s legacy thus far saw her named by the Royal Institute of British architecture as  one of their ‘100 Women: Architects in Practice.’

Fahmy’s work heralds a new era of conscious design. AlUla has always been a quiet keeper of its own narrative. In Dar Tantora, Fahmy does not impose upon this legacy but rather becomes a part of its ongoing dialogue. Her ethos as an innovator extends far beyond the boundaries of design, creating ripples that challenge inherited methodologies and demand a reconsideration of how we engage with tradition and place.

KARIM SAMIR | Founder, V7 - For Reclaiming the Soda Aisle With Pure Egyptian Pop

At the close of 2023 a regional and global boycott movement reshaped consumer consciousness. By 2024, this collective reckoning triggered a shift in demand: a pivot away from imported products and a rallying embrace of homegrown goods. Amid this seismic change, one brand emerged not merely as a beneficiary but as an architect of this new reality: V7, Egypt’s own soda sensation. 

Led by co-founder and VP of marketing Karim Samir, the brand has grown beyond its local roots to stake its claim on the global stage. In a market saturated with established players, V7 carved out its own niche by marrying cultural pride with shrewd responsiveness. To infiltrate an entrenched system - a consumer machine designed for compulsion - is a feat in itself. But to cultivate loyalty among customers aligned with your vision of Pina Colada and Lemon Mint malt drinks? That’s an art form.

Its range of fruity malt drinks and cola didn’t just alter consumer tastes but rather interpolated them - prompting people to look inward when it comes to making conscious consumption decisions. The results were staggering. In less than a year, V7 became a cultural staple, swiftly broadening its repertoire to include Cola - and, by overwhelming demand, a Diet Cola shortly after. 

Now, with exports spanning 22 countries, V7 is taking this emblem of Egyptian niftiness global, proving what an audacious homegrown brand can accomplish on a country-wide and global level.

VERTEX | Seif El Sayyad, Omar Salem & Ahmed Tarek | Event Planners - For Masterminding the Pyramids Wedding That Stunned the World

For event planners Seif El Sayyad, Omar Salem and Ahmed Tarek, Vertex is a story best served at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza. 

Destination weddings. Lavish parties. These are the fantasies of fairy tales and the realities of pop stars, their settings carved into pristine cliffs or sprawling country estates. Egypt, so often relegated to history’s postcards, wasn’t expected to play a part in these dreams. But Vertex wasn’t having it. Since 2022, they’ve been quietly - and then not so quietly - upending that assumption, weaving modern love stories into Egypt’s rich, storied backdrop. 

At the height of this ambition came the wedding of Erica Hammond, a former WWE star, and seasoned entrepreneur Ankur Jain. “It was the type of wedding that could’ve and had the means to happen anywhere,” Omar Salem tells CairoScene. “They chose to have it here [at the Pyramids].” 

It was the wedding of the season, the kind of event that shifts the rhythm of things, sets newsrooms on edge, and fills social media with a hum of filtered snapshots and resonant envy. Four days brimming with canonical moments, but it was the ending, at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza, that refused to dissolve into the churn. 

The soft power of this wedding was no accident. Every detail, every decision, seemed carefully calibrated to redirect the world’s gaze. Egypt became both a place to remember and a destination to long for. For Vertex, it was a project with intention, a structure built to scale. A masterclass in nation branding, yes, but also in the art of storytelling - how to create a narrative that lingers, stretching far beyond the event itself.

BRINK OF DREAMS | Nada Riyadh & Ayman Al Amir | Filmmakers - For Bringing Al Minya to Cannes

From Egypt’s Al Minya to France’s Cannes, Brink of Dreams (Arabic: Rafaa’t Einy lel Sama) is a story of dreamers told by dreamers. The film follows an all-female troupe from Al Minya, Upper Egypt—young girls driven by their passion for acting and singing—who have become a nationwide sensation. 

With just a soulful voice and an honest desire to create, they’ve made history as the stars of Egypt’s first film to win the prestigious L’Oeil d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the highest global accolade for documentaries. Behind this achievement are real-life couple and directorial duo Nada Riyadh and Ayman Al Amir.

While Egypt has a rich tradition of documentary filmmaking, the genre has largely been confined to niche urban audiences. Brink of Dreams shattered that mold, becoming the first Egyptian documentary to enjoy a nationwide theatrical release. Its success has not only brought documentary filmmaking into the mainstream but has also inspired future storytellers to explore bold, thought-provoking narratives on a grander scale.

The film delves into the lives of the young women of Panorama Al Barsha, a troupe based in an Upper Egyptian village of the same name. It captures their struggles as they navigate the confines of a patriarchal rural society defined by strict social conventions. At its heart, Brink of Dreams is a tale of defiance, resilience, and the pursuit of self-discovery.

ALI ZARAAY | Photographer - For ‘Crawling on Dust’ and Capturing Egypt’s Unseen Visual Narratives

Ali Zaraay is a cautious speaker. He pauses between sentences, stares into the horizon, and carefully considers his next nuanced statement. He photographs much like he speaks - often scattered, yet careful and thoughtful. 

This year, his long-term project, Crawling on Dust, was selected for the World Press Photo’s 2024 Joop Swart Masterclass as the only Egyptian photographer chosen. The same project was also accepted into the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture’s Arab Documentary Photography Program. This year belonged to Zaraay - and to Haj Hani, his friend and the protagonist of his acclaimed project.

The documentary project, nine years in the making, focuses on how urban expansion in the Nile Delta has restricted the nomadic Bedouin family of Haj Hani from moving freely. By chronicling the story of Haj Hani’s family and lineage, the project explores the Egyptian nomadic Bedouin’s social and spatial memory, their alternative narratives of the ‘road’ and ‘home,’ and how they imagine themselves in other landscapes. It is a family Zaraay has grown up with and closely observed.

When Zaraay was accepted into the World Press Masterclass, his ‘movement’ with the story was, ironically, challenged. At the same time, Selim - part of Haj Hani’s family - was illegally migrating from Egypt to Italy. Zaraay recalls witnessing this journey as one of the harshest moments of 2024.

Born and raised in Al Minya, photography became Zaraay’s reason for moving to Cairo, but it also became his way of understanding the city and his place within its grandeur. Oscillating between documentary photographer and visual artist, Zaraay approaches his titles, stories, and moving images with meticulous care, answering every question with a new set of questions. It was only six years into his practice that he embraced the label ‘photographer’ - a title his mother accepted for him at the same time.

Since then, Zaraay’s practice has evolved to become more anthropologically rooted, a vision he attributes to Egyptian anthropologist Farah Hallaba. He describes Hallaba as a constant commentator on his work and a collaborator on Crawling on Dust. The duo also founded together the photography collective ‘Safena 7’ in 2023, an independent space to question and learn and also a platform for local photographers.

MAI SALAMA & NEAMAT KHALIL | Co-Founders Creative Industry Summit. - For Taking the Cairo-born Creative Industry to Saudi and Igniting a New Era of Collaboration, Access & Impact

It takes a village. Impact, success, turning the dreaming into doing, birthing ideas into existence… all of it takes an extraordinary amount of people in infinite visible and invisible ways pulling the pieces together to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

When it comes to the creative economy in Egypt, Neamat Khalil and Mai Salama have taken it upon themselves to build the village, populate it, inspire and connect its people and then make sure the whole damn world (or for now at least the region) thinks it’s the best village ever.

As the co-founders of the Cairo-born Creative Industry Summit, the largest and most vibrant gathering of creatives in the Middle East - now in its 10th year of striking success - they have been working tirelessly to bring together the once disparate factions of Egypt’s creative economies together under one roof, empowering them through their literal and proverbial platforms while handing industry icons and rookies alike loud speakers, so that teaching and learning become a symbiotic and endlessly inspiring (and especially fun) experience.

“We long ago decided it was about time we became exporters of our big ideas instead of only looking to the West.” Salama explains.

“The best of our local creatives were mostly meeting in global summits,” adds Khalil, “We wanted to build a homegrown space for them, and then invite the rest of the world in to be learn and be inspired.”

In 2024 the duo realized a long-standing ambition to officially take the summit to Saudi in its full fabulous form (following a beta version in 2022). Taking place at the sprawling JAX District in Riyadh, the seminal event attracted nearly 20,000 visitors, creating a first of its kind bridge between Egypt’s and the Kingdom’s creatives, and sparking a new era of access, collaboration and ultimately impact.

THE RISKY BOYS | Mohamed Tarek, Karim Alaa & Ahmed Attef | Fashion Disruptors - For Making Cairo the Catwalk That Captivated the World

Earlier this year, Egyptian stylists, models, art directors and content creators, The Risky Boys, posted their first ever ‘Catwalk in Cairo’ - a spontaneous runway born amidst Cairo’s winding alleyways…

Their post inevitably sparked a wave of questions: What does it mean to reclaim? Is it an act of liberation - breaking free from the tethers of family and convention - or a craft forged in the tenacity of childhood fearlessness? Can reclamation take root within the sterile confines of mechanical workspaces, or does it belong elsewhere, striding like a catwalk through Cairo’s chaotic streets?

The Risky Boys are a living testament to the power of unlearning, deconstructing, and rebuilding - opening new gateways for urban fashion to flourish. Comprised of Mohamed Tarek, Karim Alaa, and Ahmed Attef, the Egyptian trio navigates Cairo’s streets with purpose, crafting clothing collections that speak directly to the city’s tumultuous rhythms. With impeccable strides, they transform the everyday into a stage, presenting their creations to unwitting audiences in Downtown Cairo, Al Matariyya, and Souk Al Gomaa while rewriting the narrative of streetwear. 

This year has been nothing short of transformative for the Risky Boys. Amassing millions of views across their social channels, their meteoric rise has brought with it a wave of collaborations with some of the world’s most recognisable names, including Marvel and Amsterdam’s Scotch & Soda. “We turned down many deals before because they didn’t make sense for our vision,” Attef tells CairoScene. “Our goal is to platform Egypt and its culture as it stands today.” 

Serving as their own art directors, stylists, designers, and content creators, the trio spends their days exploring Cairo’s alleyways, uncovering legacy spaces like Lucie’s hair salon - a discovery that led to the creation of their sister project, ‘Persona’.

Together, they embody a seismic shift in the local fashion scene, one that dares to turn its gaze inward. Rather than chasing the elusive glitter of international trends, their work interrogates the intimate and the immediate - charting identity on a personal scale, mapping culture through the lens of lived experience.

NOUR EL REFAI | Architectural Photographer - For Winning Global Acclaim as Egypt’s Leading Lens on Architecture

In an age where design saturates every facet of modern life, the act of documenting spaces has evolved into its own quiet art. At the vanguard of this movement is Nour El Refai, an architect turned architectural photographer who has, with a steady and discerning hand, emerged as one of the most sought-after visual chroniclers in the MENA region. 

His eye, sharpened by years of architectural study, approaches a building as both canvas and subject. To El Refai, the photograph is never mere documentation but an act of storytelling. Every frame is a careful negotiation between precision and poetics, a deliberate uncovering of details others might dismiss - hidden forms, subtle textures, the way light pools against shadow. 

Over the last decade, El Refai has worked to capture the visions of the region’s leading architects and designers, elevating their work to a global stage, rendering these spaces immortal.

The accolades speak for themselves. In 2022, El Refai received the Architecture Masterprize for his arresting photographs of the Museum of the Future in Dubai. The following year, he earned the same honor for his work on Thukher Club, and in 2024, completed a rare hat-trick with his imagery of the Seat of Power Pavilion by Dar Arafa Architecture during Cairo Design Week.

Yet, El Refai’s true impact transcends awards. Among the Egyptian architects and interior designers featured in Architectural Digest’s prestigious AD100 list this year, the majority owe the permanence of their work to El Refai’s lens. 

Whether under the unrelenting glare of the UAE sun or tracing shadows across seaside escapes on Egypt’s North Coast, El Refai’s commitment to his craft has reshaped how architecture is seen and understood across the Middle East. His work does more than document - it archives a moment, distilling a fleeting present into something timeless. Beyond the acclaim, beyond the borders, El Refai stands as both witness and participant in a design renaissance that is transforming a region.

AHMED FAYEZ | Production Designer, Al Hashashin - For Bringing History to Life Through Set Design

What does it mean to conjure a world unseen, to carve a universe from the dust of ancient book spines and the forgotten corners of Persia’s archives? For those who have spent their lives wandering the labyrinth of the region’s history, Egyptian production designer Ahmed Fayez’s world-building in ‘Al Hashashin’ is nothing short of a long-awaited release - a balm for the imagination.

‘Setting the scene’ is a phrase too often reduced to literary flourishes - a flourish here, a flourish there. For Ahmed Fayez, however, the scenes in ‘Al Hashashin’ are not a matter of words but a lived emotional terrain through which the story breathes. Colours act as emotional triggers; tight, cluttered interiors compress tension, while wide-open landscapes reflect the expansive weight of a moment. To conjure ‘Al Hashashin's’ universe, Fayez first mapped its geographies - from Isfahan to Syria - spending two months steeped in research and another six meticulously constructing, deconstructing, and rebuilding the realm.

For those watching at home, the world feels startlingly real. This 11th-century epic, chronicling the life of Hassan-i Sabbah, occupies spaces so tactile they seem lifted straight from historical memory. Moments too extraordinary for belief might easily be mistaken for digital trickery. Yet to the untrained eye, Fayez’s visual retelling offers no clues - it is intimate, tangible, and wholly alive.

Fayez’s work wrestles with the possibilities that emerge when creators dare to step beyond the confines of the already imagined. The existing world - its forms, its conventions - serves not as a limitation but as a reference point, a set of loose parameters against which Fayez defines his own vision. It is, at best, a guide; at worst, a cautionary tale. His work on ‘Al Hashashin’ becomes a microcosm of this philosophy, a testament to what happens when creative consciousness is allowed to lead. The result is transformative: a shift not just in how we see the world, but in how the world might reflect itself back to us - untethered, and newly alive.

ABDALLAH SALLAM | CEO Madinet Masr - For Making Arabic Cool Again

The concept of a brand 'ethos' is overused. Visions and missions often fill statements and guide campaigns. Yet few truly live up to a mission that is so deeply intertwined with their identity as a corporate entity—a business built to make money. One of those rare exceptions is Madinet Masr, a real estate giant dedicated to honouring local culture, language, history, design, and architecture.

With Al Arabi Asli, Madinet Masr's viral campaign, the Arabic language takes center stage in an overdue conversation about the ironic stigma surrounding it in Egyptian society. A crucial issue that remains buried under layers of colonial influence and a culture that links wealth and class to broken Arabic. 

“Egypt and the Arabic language are at the heart of our company’s name, its identity, and at the core of our company’s goals,” CEO and founder Madinet Masr Abdallah Sallam tells CairoScene. The campaign not only champions the language but also leverages the digital tools and Gen Z voices to shine a light on the beauty of Arabic. 

As real estate billboards in Egypt feature white-washed faces and display English, bougie statements, Madinet Masr did the complete opposite. They bet on the Egyptian audience, teaching them along the way that simply: Al Arabi Asli.

DINA GHABBOUR | Entrepreneur & 'Shark' - For Propelling a Tidal Wave of Entrepreneurial Ambition

In 2024, Shark Tank Egypt transcended its role as a TV show to become a cultural catalyst. By catapulting entrepreneurship into primetime, it reimagined what ambition looks like in modern Egypt. Each week, the nation tunes in to witness bold ideas collide with sharp business acumen, as hopeful entrepreneurs face down seasoned investors in the ultimate test of grit and vision. It’s more than a spectacle—it’s a national conversation that has turned innovation into a mainstream pursuit.

But Shark Tank Egypt’s influence doesn’t stop at airtime. The program has become a launchpad for ideas, igniting a collective belief in what’s possible. It has shifted mindsets, transforming entrepreneurship from an abstract aspiration into a tangible, attainable reality. For a country overflowing with untapped potential and restless creativity, the show has emerged as a bridge—connecting ambition to opportunity, raw energy to execution, and local talent to an audience far beyond Egypt’s borders.

Surfing the crest of this entrepreneurial wave is Dina Ghabbour, the sole female Shark on the panel. Already a formidable force in the automotive, tech, and education sectors, Ghabbour has leveraged her platform to launch The W podcast, where she hosts some of the region’s most impactful women, inviting them to talk candidly about everything from career development to mental health.

Emboldened by the power of Shark Tank Egypt, Dina Ghabbour has seamlessly evolved from investor to advocate, embodying the transformative spirit of Egypt's evolving business landscape.

HODA EL-SHERIF | Co-Founder Cairo Food Week - For Turning Egypt’s Kitchens into the World’s Next Course

Food styling was not a real job. At least not in Egypt. Not until Hoda El-Sherif came along.

The year was 2014, and El-Sherif was art directing at El Beit magazine. She noticed that while local publications were brimming with beautifully styled images of clothes and interiors, food in photoshoots was always overlooked. So she parlayed a hunch, a trolley full of talent, and a couple of international courses into the country’s first-ever dedicated food-focused agency: Flavor Republic (FR)—or, as it says on the label, “the MENA region's first food-focused multidisciplinary collective, celebrating food and culture through impactful narratives.”

In the intervening years, the world’s biggest brands have signed up to become part of her republic, with FR’s mouthwatering work appearing in TV ads, publications, and billboards across the globe.

Then, in 2023 El-Sherif quietly launched the inaugural edition of Cairo Food Week. To her it felt like a logical culmination of the passion, network, and stories she and her team had been nurturing for over a decade.

It was a trial run, per se—if you can call some of the world’s biggest chefs flying into Cairo to whip up feasts of the imagination alongside Egypt’s most extraordinary culinary talents “a trial run.”

Which brings us to 2024 and a first-of-its-kind experiential event that placed Cairo firmly on the global map of contemporary culinary culture. Over 20 of the world’s most celebrated culinary superstars—chefs who collectively lay claim to a sky full of Michelin stars—descended upon the land of the Pharaohs to curate and serve exquisitely unforgettable menus alongside their Egyptian cohorts and cohosts.

Be it a ‘King’s Feast’ under the watchful gaze of Ramesses II in the lofty halls of the Grand Egyptian Museum, a gastronomic wonderland at the foot of the Pyramids, a farm-to-table taste journey nestled amidst palms on the edge of the desert, or the cacophonous bustle of a fresh food market in the heart of Downtown Cairo, for 10 tantalizing days, our bellies were full and our souls satiated.

EL HAREEFA | Tarek El Ganainy & Nour El Nabawy | Producer & Actor - For Betting on a Youth-Centric Story & Scoring

Scoring goals and breaking records, El Hareefa has emerged as a distinct phenomenon in modern Egyptian cinema. With an all-youth cast, a rarely explored sports drama genre, and a bold gamble on audiences craving something fresh, the film has challenged what draws mass audiences to theatres.

More than just a comedy, El Hareefa delves into themes of social class, hope, and friendship, wrapped in a heartfelt coming-of-age narrative. Its relatable, well-told story struck a chord with audiences, proving that resonance is the key to box office success. On and off the screen, El Hareefa is a celebration of the "hareefa" spirit—an ode to perseverance, camaraderie, and the universal love of the game.

With what is now an all-star cast, the film originally spotlighted a troupe of young actors in their first leading roles. Nour El Nabawy, Kozbara, Ahmed Ghozzi, and others captivated audiences as young men chasing victory, both on the field and in life. Behind the scenes, producer Tarek El Ganainy was on his own mission: to create a cinematic win for Egypt’s youth.

The story followed Maged, played by El Nabawy, who finds himself navigating a new social reality where his football skills are the only bridge to acceptance with the "cool kids”. Their shared drive to win sparks an unexpected bond, weaving a tale of friendship and self-discovery.

A month ago, the film returned with a sequel—this time, its success was no surprise. Instead, it felt like a natural evolution of a story that dominated both critics' circles and TikTok trends, hitting the sweet spot between critical acclaim and mass appeal.

Interviews: Nancy Fares, Ahmed Shiha, Heba Radi, Farah Dessouky, Farida El Shafie, Ziyad El Helbawy & Rana Gabr
Words: English - Farida El Shafie & Farah Dessouky // Arabic - Ahmed Shiha & Nancy Fares
Producer: Hedham El Boghdady
Production Manager: Ahmed Fahim
Photography: Fares Zaitoun
Layout Art Direction: Habiba Amr
DOP: Federico Corno
Video Editors: Ahmed Salah, Roqaia Hazem, Nahla Saeed, Khaled Khalifa & Alexander Felopateer
VFX: Roqaia Hazem
Second Camera: Ahmed Reda, Alexander Felopateer
Gaffer: Ahmed Gamal
Key Crew: Eslam Abdelghany, Eslam Maged, Abanoub Fouad, Mahmoud Gehad
Post Production Manager: Heba Radi
Project Manager: Jana El Sawi
Editoral Executive: Salma Abdelsalam

Filmed at the MO4 Studios