The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Image via imdb.com. Trailer: Dubai International Film Festival page on youtube.

Dubbed Hollywood of the East, Egypt has always been the Mecca of filmmakers and artists in the region. But with the many classics that the country’s industry has been able to create, Egypt remained relatively far behind when it comes to animated movies. That’s why we were proud of the Egyptian short animation The Unknown Sweet Potato Seller.

Upon its release back in 2017, the short animation has been on the road from one international festival to another, gaining recognition and earning awards. Before being selected in the 5^th edition of Beirut Animated, which takes place next November, The Unknown Sweet Potato Seller has been to Cannes in France, Sunscreen Film Festival in the US, Canimaf in Cameron, as well as the Miami Short Film Festival, where the film earned the Best Animated Movie Award in 2017.

Written by Hamdy Hassan and Ahmed Roshdy, and directed by Ahmed Roshdy, The Unknown Sweet Potato Seller stars Khaled Abul Naga and Tara Emad. The short animation follows a man who finds himself investigating the murder of a child who earns his living selling sweet potatoes in Tahrir Square. We’d rather you watch the trailer to get what it’s all about.

It’s also worth mentioning that The Unknown Sweet Potato Seller has been unofficially screened around the city a couple of times before, including at the French Institute in Cairo.