{"id":5132,"date":"2018-09-01T20:05:48","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T18:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/?p=5132"},"modified":"2019-07-25T20:11:41","modified_gmt":"2019-07-25T18:11:41","slug":"ashraf-hamdi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/?p=5132","title":{"rendered":"Ashraf Hamdi"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Filmmaker on the Rise<\/strong><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long since Ashraf Hamdi\u2019s exceptional performance in the award-winning film Clash and the hit-making series Tareeqi (My Way) garnered attention, that he made his leap to filmmaking. The young artist\u2019s A Voice Note is an online series written and directed by himself, comprising snapshots of seamlessly strung together footage, which render the backdrop of impassioned voice-note narration. We met the film director, actor, and writer; and with his laid-back demeanour, Hamdi took us from square one, and talked about his new-found international recognition through his independent online project.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019re an actor and filmmaker even though you studied dentistry\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I always had it planned that once I graduate, I\u2019d just leave dentistry behind me.<\/p>\n

So why did you study it? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Because of family. Back then art was viewed as more of a hobby than something you can do for a living. There wasn\u2019t that social media buzz, Facebook wasn\u2019t even a thing until college. But I\u2019ve always been interested in art. Back in my teenage years, I had a hip-hop band with DJ Feedo, and after that I worked for an Italian entertainment company in Hurghada during my summer breaks. Basically, it involved a lot of acting, stage performances, musicals, lip syncing, and sports, so it was where I was kind of breathing art during my free time until I graduated. Then I travelled to Germany for two years, and when I came back, I started from scratch to try to get a hold of how to start my career in acting. I didn\u2019t have film direction in mind at all at the beginning, my focus was acting and I didn\u2019t imagine that one day I\u2019d be a director that makes a name for himself in the field.<\/p>\n

Is that when you started your career with your lead role in <\/em><\/strong>Wingrave<\/em><\/strong>?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, that was the very first thing I did professionally as an actor.<\/p>\n

Do you consider it your breakthrough? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No, not even close. It was an experimental feature film released in the U.S, but it was a breakthrough in the sense that it was my first-ever professional appearance as an actor, and my first-ever credit on IMDB as well. And it taught me a lot of things because it was my first experience on camera, so the director gave me insights on what to do on set. It was an interesting experience. It didn\u2019t do much here, but it did sell.<\/p>\n

Has it opened doors? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, in a very weird way. A magazine wrote about me being the first actor to star in an English-language Egyptian horror film which gets released in the States and sell well. So when OTV was just starting out, someone that I know read the article and asked me to come work with them as a TV presenter. I thought it wasn\u2019t my thing at all, but he persuaded me saying it would be hip and different.<\/p>\n

Did you not enjoy it then? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Big time! And I actually boomed as a presenter more than I ever did as an actor.<\/p>\n

Would you go back if you had the chance? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No, now I wouldn\u2019t. After working with OTV for three years, and working with MBC, I stopped because I wanted to focus on acting. Back then when an actor took up TV presenting, they wouldn\u2019t be taken very seriously by the media. They\u2019re often referred to as a host rather than a presenter, and this didn\u2019t really interest me. Even people like Amr Youssef and Amir Karara were dubbed hosts, and they stopped because actors naturally want to be taken seriously. After I first started acting and did a couple of roles, I went back to TV hosting because I got this gig for a show called Oxygen<\/em><\/strong> which is similar to The Doctors<\/em><\/strong>. They they were looking for a young celebrity who has a medical background. They were thinking of me and Karim Fahmy, and they choose me in the end. It was interesting, and I did just one season. I did enjoy it, but I also felt like I was wasting my time. I gradually became a well-earning TV host, and when things are going well for you in a field that isn\u2019t yours, your comfort zone becomes\u2026comfier. You forget the actual goal that you were initially aiming for, which was acting back then. But at the same time, I did take up some roles in TV series, and I was working on my writing with Mohamed Hefzy.<\/p>\n

You co-wrote From A to B with Hefzy, correct? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, he was the first ever person I met in the industry. He had a big influence on where I am now \u2013 not the hosting part \u2013 but he introduced me to so many things. I met him through Hossam El Hosseiny, the director and rapper. We were friends back in the day, along with Al Fishawy and Feedo. He knew that I wanted to act, and he told me he\u2019s preparing a camera show and wanted me to be one of the actors, and I thought, \u201cyeah, why not?\u201d Hefzy was just a screenwriter back then. The show never happened, but I sat with him one day to tell him about an idea I had for a film. We talked, and he thought I should write it. I said I couldn\u2019t write, so he told me to join his workshop. I attended the workshops, and by time I became the supervisor, and we became friends. We didn\u2019t do much together. We have a couple of scripts that were supposed to be made and didn\u2019t, but the only time we worked professionally together was on From A to B<\/em><\/strong> and when I acted in the film Clash<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about A Voice Note. It recently went viral.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The funny thing is, it\u2019s not just viral on the internet. Big networks like the BBC have started talking about it. Sky News Arabia had me on live, and it\u2019s funny that it went viral despite me uploading it on just Facebook. Usually people add their projects to other social media pages so they can trend, but I thought of it as just a Facebook project.<\/p>\n

I feel like you want them to remain indie, and have been avoiding going mainstream.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re right, but they did go mainstream anyway. You\u2019ll see all kinds of people tagging each other in the comment section, not even the category of audience that are necessarily drawn to them as an art form.<\/p>\n

How did you get Tara Emad to star in the Voice Note \u201cI\u2019m Stronger\u201d?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She\u2019s a friend of mine. We were invited to this event in Dubai, so we had to go for three days. I had the camera with me. I told her, \u201clet\u2019s just shoot some random stuff and see what we come up with,\u201d and she was okay with that. Throughout the trip, we shot stuff that I didn\u2019t know what I was going to do with, and when we got back home, I just edited the footage into that Voice Note with some music, and it all just fell in place.<\/p>\n

So they\u2019re created in reverse? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

All the Voice Notes are created in reverse. That\u2019s the beauty of them. That\u2019s what makes this project unique. Except this one I\u2019m working on these days that I\u2019m shooting in order. That\u2019s the only one though, everything else is just footage I shoot and edit into a story. The one with Tara \u2013 I finished writing the script, and I sent it to her on WhatsApp, asking her to record them for me. Her first trial was done nicely, but not what I wanted. She hadn\u2019t even seen the video yet. I asked her to tweak them, and she did it perfectly the second time, and that was it. I think this was the turning point of the project, that was when it really boomed. There were three before that one, but they became viral with Tara. I think it\u2019s because it was very female-related, and digital projects succeed if they attract women.<\/p>\n

Why do you think so? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think woman-based projects just bloom because women can watch something over and over again, but that\u2019s not to belittle the male audience. I actually feel honoured when a man comes up to me and tells me one of my Voice Notes moved him, because you know it\u2019s going to move a woman anyway. I think women just have more intense emotions…I\u2019ve come to notice that I\u2019m kind of an indirect feminist. Most of my projects have a female lead.<\/p>\n

An indirect feminist?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, I support about women\u2019s needs, equal rights\u2026my crew has more women than men. I feel like I trust the work of women more than that of men. Maybe because they\u2019re more organised, and more responsible, and possibly because I was brought up in a house full of women with my mum, sister and grandmother. My dad was always travelling, so I was surrounded by women. I don\u2019t label myself as a feminist, but I support gender equality and I believe it\u2019s women who can push men further.<\/p>\n

Why do you avoid the label, then? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like the activist scene, and I\u2019m not crazy about the term either. This applies to other kinds of loud activism as well, like veganism. I feel like what surfaces on top of the scene is just harsh attacks, and a lot of realistic aspects are left out. A lot of activists in general don\u2019t seem to listen, they claim to support equality, and yet a lot of them act holier-than-thou. So I just avoid terms. I\u2019ll support it, and I\u2019ll act it, but I won\u2019t stick a label on it. But if you look at my art, it\u2019s always woman-driven.<\/p>\n

When did you realise film direction was what you wanted to do?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It was sort of coincidental\u2026yet I\u2019m sure deep inside it was there all along. I was an actor and a writer, the third logical missing piece was film direction, but I didn\u2019t know how to start despite knowing that I was good at telling stories.<\/p>\n

Are you aware that your films look like you have been doing this for years, despite this being something you recently took up?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

[Laughs] I think I\u2019d surprise you if I show you the very first film I made when I first touched a camera. I remember Mahmoud Kamel, the director of El Seham El Mariqa<\/em><\/strong> (Rogue Arrows), was in the same sound design studio for this short film I did. He saw my work and said, \u201cIs this like, your 10th project?\u201d I told him it was my first, and he initially couldn\u2019t believe me, but then assured me I\u2019d have a future in this field. I didn\u2019t even understand cameras or how they worked, I just grabbed one and started shooting. I was helping a friend of mine, it was her graduation project and she didn\u2019t know anything to do with film, so she asked me for help because I\u2019m an actor and in the business. I thought I could get help from a videographer, and I ended up making the film myself. At that moment, I realised I was a filmmaker. The way I was sitting in the editing unit, and the way I shot it as a first-timer gave me the sign that I was waiting for. Before that, I would just be dreaming of the ideal story and film that I\u2019d star in\u2026where I had the story and the script. Once I became a director, my interest in acting declined. Why act when I can make my own movies?<\/p>\n

What kind of reactions did you get when you took up directing?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think in Egypt, people consider acting more important than directing, even though that\u2019s farthest from the truth. Actors in the end change, they come and go, they die \u2013 and they do whatever directors tell them, but directors live forever through their works. When people ask me why I stopped acting, and how that\u2019s a shame, I\u2019m always bewildered. I became a director, that\u2019s an upgrade! Now I\u2019m the one creating the world, not someone playing a part in a world. And it doesn\u2019t mean I will drop acting altogether. I don\u2019t mind acting in one of my works, or in films like Clash<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Is that why we don\u2019t see you on television as often anymore? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t received as many offers since I became a director. Perhaps some people don\u2019t like the fact that I boomed this fast as a director, others may assume if they cast you, you\u2019ll end up interfering with their ways, and some assume I stopped acting. I was with Ahmed Al Morsy, the cinematographer of Torab El Mass<\/em><\/strong> (Diamond Dust) and El Fil El Azrak <\/em><\/strong>(The Blue Elephant), a few days ago and when I said I\u2019d love to audition for something, he pointed out how people in the business probably think I don\u2019t act anymore.<\/p>\n

Do you have any regrets in the field? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No regrets, but I feel like I wasted my time with some gigs. Like my role as Ramzi in the Laila Eloui series Hekayat We Benaesha<\/em><\/strong> (Tales We\u2019re Living) by director Mariam Abu Ouf. Thankfully though, it was in Ramadan and at the same I had a big role in Yousra\u2019s series. I realised later that my role was just bullshit and smaller than it initially seemed to be. Other than that, any other role I took up benefited me. Looking back, my roles were very diverse. I was an Iraqi in Flowers of Kirkuk<\/em><\/strong>, a big Italian film released in Europe. In Clash<\/em><\/strong>, I played a member of the Muslim brotherhood, which is completely different from any of the other roles that get offered to me. I\u2019m not even into politics, so I had to do lots of research.<\/p>\n

How did you land your role in Clash. You said you and Hefzy were friends\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t get the role through Hefzy! We even laughed about that on set. I got it straight from Mohamed Diab, he called and offered it to me. I\u2019ve known Diab for a long time, since he was a writer. He called, and asked me what I think of the script without telling me which role he\u2019s offering me. I read it and said the film was a make-it-or-break-it. It has the potential to be the best film made in the last 30 years, only if you just do it right. He agreed, and asked me what I think of the role of Talaat [later changed to Amr], a member of the Muslim Brotherhood party. I thought it was interesting, but I was surprised because I assumed he was giving me the clich\u00e9 role that I always get in every TV series in Egypt – the spoiled mama\u2019s boy. I just felt like, \u201cfinally!\u201d And I took it. I didn\u2019t know much about politics, and Diab asked me to get in depth. I had lots of friends who supported this side of the political spectrum, so I started talking to many people. My role was not your average brotherhood guy, it was the educated kind, and I personally knew many, so that helped.<\/p>\n

Was it as difficult as it seemed to be? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It took a while to prepare. Eight months of preparation. We were supposed to shoot in the summer, so we started rehearsing in February, but then it got postponed. When we signed contracts, it said we weren\u2019t allowed to take any Ramadan offers, and we were cool with it because we all believed in the project. I personally knew that this film was taking us to Cannes. When it got delayed, they allowed us to take any offers, and most of us had already missed our chances. But by luck I got a call for the My Way<\/em><\/strong> role. I shaved my beard because it was set in the \u201880s, and I had to look neat. This role gave me a huge boost as an actor<\/p>\n

because people loved my character, and it was one of those series that really succeeded that year. When I was done, I went back to rehearsals again, and we wrapped up by September or October.<\/p>\n

Do you consider yourself picky when it comes to choosing roles? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m definitely picky, and that\u2019s why I don\u2019t work a lot. But at the beginning, I needed to get myself out there first. I was lucky that even then, there were roles that people liked, even when it was an air-headed character like the one I did in Ezaet Hobb<\/em><\/strong> (Love Station) with Menna Shalaby. Until today, people tell me how much they loved that role, even though I thought it was one of the most ridiculous ones I\u2019ve done. I loved the film and the experience; and I intended to do it ridiculously because the character was very comical, like someone you\u2019d see on the show Friends<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Do you ever feel like it\u2019s challenging to get into character? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No. But maybe that\u2019s because I was taught well by my acting coach in London. The acting I learnt was back there, not here.<\/p>\n

Did you have any coaching there in directing as well? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m self-taught when it comes to directing \u2013 a hundred percent. I learned through films that I watched and some books, though not many. It helped more that I taught myself editing, so when I direct I usually edit in my mind, and that makes me fast. I know when I have the right shot.<\/p>\n

What do you think is your most underrated work or role? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

My role in Flowers of Kirkuk.<\/em><\/strong> It wasn\u2019t seen here, so it\u2019s really underrated. I did hard work acing the language, and the experience was amazing. This one and Classified<\/em><\/strong>, the MBC web series, which received a lot of attention in Dubai and they actually sold a lot of cars because of it. Same goes for From A to B,<\/em><\/strong> it succeeded in Dubai but not here.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a traveller. How has that shaped you as a director?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s the number one reason why I produce art. Before I became a traveller, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve had this open mind to colours, cultures, and art. I didn\u2019t know a lot about art galleries. The first time I went to one, I became a regular. My first viral video called The Search of Beauty<\/em><\/strong> was shot when I was travelling. When you travel, you film as much as you can without any restrictions. There\u2019s always a view, and it\u2019s easy to film.<\/p>\n

What are you working on right now? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a couple of commercials happening in the coming months. I\u2019m also working on a couple of Voice Notes, and I\u2019m trying to finish one of the future films I\u2019m writing because I want to make something that goes big. I have a certified cinematography workshop that I\u2019m attending in London soon\u2026not to become a cinematographer, I just need to master it for my own progress.<\/p>\n

Do you think film making takes inherent talent or can it be acquired?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No, definitely inherent. But I believe you have to work on acquiring it as well. By time, you become better, but if you attempt to acquire it without having at least a percentage of natural-born talent, no matter how many films you make, they\u2019ll all turn the same. And you see that a lot here\u2026people making hundreds of films, and they\u2019re all equally bad. They\u2019re just good at business and have connections, so you see their productions a lot.<\/p>\n

Do you want to extend your career abroad?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I do, but to do that I think I need to make a great film here that makes it to film festivals so it can be my ticket. I think I have a good CV so far, including commercials with big names, but I know I still have to make a good film. Abroad, the ceiling is very high. You can create whatever films that you want. It upsets me that now in Egypt, the standard taste in art has become really low. And you see that in the kinds of trends that get appreciated online. I feel like the Egyptian scene is starting to appreciate just about anything that gets thrown at them. You see an \u201cinfluencer\u201d with a million followers, but they just take selfies.<\/p>\n

You said all kinds of films. What do you mean? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot I want to discuss that doesn\u2019t have an audience here. I want to write some sci-fi, post-apocalyptic and horror stories, but those kinds would be challenging to make appealing to an Egyptian audience. There\u2019s a lot of topics that don\u2019t suit the Middle East. I want to explore more.<\/p>\n

What inspires you? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If I\u2019m in love, the one I\u2019m with inspires me the most, but that hardly ever happens. Otherwise, travelling and good films do it for me.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s on your playlist? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always changing. I\u2019m very moody and have phases. These days you\u2019ll see 6lack<\/em><\/strong>, Cannons<\/em><\/strong> and Tender<\/em><\/strong> on repeat. I enjoy indie rock, and indie pop. That\u2019s my favourite kind of music.<\/p>\n

Do you ever get writer\u2019s block? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I deal with it a lot, that\u2019s why there\u2019s a gap between one Voice Note and the next. I just wait it out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t long since Ashraf Hamdi\u2019s exceptional performance in the award-winning film Clash and the hit-making series Tareeqi (My Way) garnered attention, that he made his leap to filmmaking. The young artist\u2019s A Voice Note is an online series written and directed by himself, comprising snapshots of seamlessly strung together footage, which render the backdrop of impassioned voice-note narration. We met the film director, actor, and writer; and with his laid-back demeanour, Hamdi took us from square one, and talked about his new-found international recognition through his independent online project.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5134,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5132\/revisions\/5134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insight-egypt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}