Exiled Egyptian Filmmaker's Acclaimed Documentary Brings Parents' Story Home

The autobiographical hybrid-documentary "Life After Siham" by Franco-Egyptian filmmaker Namir Abdel Messeeh is currently screening at the 2025 Cairo International Film Festival, after previously receiving development support at the 2021 Cairo Film Connection. The film, which had its world premiere at the ACID section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, has since gone on to screen at several other prestigious festivals, including IDFA, Turin, and Marrakech.

Produced by Messeeh's production company Oweda Films, in co-production with Paris-based Les Films d'Ici, the film explores Messeeh's personal journey following the death of his mother and the illness of his father. Incorporating archive footage from legendary Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, the film has been praised for its intimate and universal exploration of grief, memory, and the power of cinema.

After a challenging development process that spanned over a decade, "Life After Siham" has begun to gain recognition, winning the El Gouna Star Award for Best Arab Documentary at the 2025 El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt. The film's screening at the Cairo International Film Festival, a festival that attracts large general audiences, is seen as an important homecoming for Messeeh, whose parents were forced into exile in France in the 1970s.