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

Image credit: Arab News

And we were there first! Our sister site Cairo Gossip spoke to Amir El Masry about his rise to stardom back in June, when his international film, LIMBO, premiered at Cannes Film Festival. Just yesterday, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced its nominees for the Breakthrough Brits category, and what do you know – El Masry is on that honourable list.

El Masry, 30, was born in Cairo and raised in London, and he’s the first actor of his ethnicity to be nominated for a BAFTA. He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and has starred in several Egyptian films, including Ramadan Mabrouk Abul-Alamein Hamouda (2008) and El-Talatah Yishtaghaloonha (2010). As for his international repertoire, he starred in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Transporter: The Series, Lost in London, The State, and he also lent his voice to video game favourite, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, among other notable performances. Such an impressive career has lead El Masry to work with world-class talents including Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, and Woody Harrelson.

Watch him when he called us Cairo’s best in the video below:

“BAFTA Breakthrough showcases and supports the next generation of creative talent in film, games, and television in the UK, China, India, and the US,” reads BAFTA’s official website. “Breakthrough identifies the most exciting new talent coming up in the film, games, and television industries and gives them access to unique career development and mentoring opportunities. BAFTA gives talented individuals bespoke support at their critical ‘breakthrough’ career moment, enabling them to build on their success and ensuring their continued development in their chosen field”.

Up next: El Masry’s LIMBO is set to take part in Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), and we can’t wait to see what else the young star has in store.