21-05-2025
Egyptian Cinema Soars Again: Aisha Can't Fly Away Stuns at Cannes
Aisha Can't Fly Away made a powerful debut at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, May 20th, premiering in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section. The buzz was undeniable, with festival-goers, celebrities, and media figures scrambling to grab tickets for one of the film's four hotly anticipated screenings.
The premiere concluded to thunderous applause and a well-earned standing ovation—an early sign that Aisha Can't Fly Away is one of the breakout highlights of this year's festival.
Attending the premiere alongside the film's cast and crew, director Morad Mostafa expressed how humbled he was to be at Cannes again before the film's screening, stressing that he wouldn't have made it this far as a director 'without the Egyptian film industry,' and that he is 'very proud to be representing Egypt in the official selection of Cannes this year.' He also thanked the film's co-producers, and crew, along with 'paying a special tribute' to the film's producer and his partner, Sawsan Yusuf.
On stage with him were film stars Buliana Simon and Ziad Zaza's producers, Yusuf, Dora Bouchoucha, Sherif Fathy, Ahmed Amer, Alaa Karkouti, and Maher Diab, and crew members Mohamed Mamdouh and Mostafa Kashef.
The film will have three additional screenings during the festival: two on Wednesday, May 21st, at 1 pm (Agnes Varda Hall) and 1:30 pm (Cinéma ScreenX), followed by a third on Thursday, May 22nd, at 9:15 am (Cinéum Salle 3).
Directed by Morad Mostafa, the premiere of the film marks Egypt's first participation in Un Certain Regard since the 2016 film CLASH by Mohamed Diab, almost a decade prior.
Aisha is a 26-year-old Sudanese caregiver living in a neighborhood in the heart of Cairo where she witnesses the tension between her fellow African migrants and other groups. Unwittingly, she becomes involved with an Egyptian gang that blackmails her into stealing her patients' keys so that they can rob them.
A co-production between Egypt, France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Sudan, the film has garnered significant support, including grants from the Doha Film Institute, Cultural Resource Fund, El Gouna Film Festival, Locarno Academy, Cannes' Cinéfondation and La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde, and Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. It also notably swept a top award at Red Sea Lodge, five at Venice's Final Cut, as well as the Atlas Award at Marrakech International Film Festival.
The creative team behind Aisha CaN't Fly Away features several returning faces from Mostafa's I PROMISE YOU PARADISE, including cinematographer Mostafa El Kashef, who also worked on last year's Cannes entry THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE, which also made its way to Toronto; production designer Eman Elelaby, who earned a FIPRESCI Prize for her work on FEATHERS; costume designer Nayera Eldahshoury; sound engineer Mostafa Shaban; and editor Mohamed Mamdouh.
Produced by Sawsan Yusuf's Bonanza Films, the film is co-produced alongside Dora Bouchoucha and Lina Shaban of Tunisia's Nomadic Images, Sherif Fathy of Shift Studios, Ahmed Amer of A. A. Films, Faisal Baltayour from Cinewaves, May Odeh and Zorana Musikic of Mayana Films, Laura Nikolov of Coorigins, Abellelah Al Ahmary of Arabia Pictures, and associate producer Amjad Abu Alala.
AISHA CAN'T FLY AWAY boasts a stellar cast, with Buliana Simon taking on the lead role of Aisha alongside Egyptian rapper Ziad Zaza — in his first feature-length appearance — Emad Ghoniem, and Mamdouh Saleh.
