A Powerful New Egyptian–Palestinian Collaboration Premieres at El Gouna Film Festival 2025
The eighth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival witnessed the highly anticipated Middle Eastern premiere of My Father’s Scent, internationally titled Cologne, a deeply emotional family drama that brings together two icons from different generations, Ahmed Malek and Kamel El Basha. Directed by award-winning Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Siam, the film marks his first narrative feature after a successful career in documentary cinema.
A Story Rooted in Intimacy and Conflict
Set in Alexandria on the eve of Eid al-Adha, My Father’s Scent unfolds over a single night. A father returns home from six months in a coma to face his estranged younger son, Farouk, played by Ahmed Malek. Their long-simmering tensions erupt into a verbal and emotional confrontation that peels back years of unspoken resentment and buried secrets.
The film’s intense domestic setting mirrors a theatrical chamber piece, with the apartment transforming into an arena of confrontation, love, and inherited trauma. Small moments of silence, gestures, and glances replace melodrama, allowing the audience to experience the quiet weight of generational wounds.
A Director Stepping into Fiction with Documentary Truth
For director Mohamed Siam, this film marks a bold transition from acclaimed documentaries such as Whose Country? and Amal to a fiction feature that still carries his signature realism. A member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the European Film Academy, Siam has received international recognition from the Sundance Institute, Venice Biennale Final Cut, and CNC France.
His approach in My Father’s Scent preserves the authenticity of his documentary work, using real locations, long takes, and ambient sound to create emotional proximity. The result is an experience that feels lived-in, intimate, and hauntingly true.
Ahmed Malek and Kamel El Basha: A Clash of Generations
The film’s heart beats through the powerful performances of its two leads.
Ahmed Malek, one of Egypt’s most versatile young actors, delivers a raw and layered portrayal of Farouk, a son torn between rebellion and longing for acceptance. Known for his bold roles in films such as Sheikh Jackson, Clash, and Netflix’s The Swimmers, Malek brings intensity and vulnerability that anchor the film’s emotional core.
Opposite of him, Kamel El Basha, the Palestinian actor celebrated for his Coppa Volpi win at the Venice Film Festival for The Insult, embodies the weary but formidable father. In interviews from El Gouna, El Basha described the role as “a mean character, but one born of harsh human circumstances.” His performance reflects a man battling not just his son but his own failures and fragility.
Their exchanges are electric, a quiet duel of pride, guilt, and love that captures the universal pain of broken families.
A Stellar Ensemble and Strong Production
The supporting cast includes Mayan El Sayed, Donia Maher, Hala Marzouk, and Abed Anani, each adding depth to the film’s emotional landscape. The production, led by Film Clinic’s Mohamed Hefzy and Mohamed Siam himself, brings together an accomplished creative team, cinematographer Omar Abou Douma, editor Ahmed Hafez, and sound designers Jocelyn Robert and Sameh Gamal, ensuring a sensory experience that blends realism with poetic intensity.
From Venice to El Gouna: A Journey of Recognition
Even before its official release, My Father’s Scent (Cologne) has already made waves internationally. The film was part of the Final Cut in Venice program at the Venice Film Festival 2024, where it won five awards for post-production excellence, signaling strong anticipation in global film circles.
Its world premiere took place at the Warsaw International Film Festival 2025, and its regional debut at El Gouna Film Festival reaffirms Egypt’s position as a growing center for bold, auteur-driven cinema.
In an interview, Kamel El Basha expressed his gratitude and admiration for the festival’s evolving role as a “global platform that celebrates art and humanity together.” He highlighted the festival’s theme “Cinema for Humanity”, connecting it to the Palestinian cause and the role of art in amplifying human stories.
“This festival gives us a window to show that art can be resistance, empathy, and truth,” El Basha said.
An Intimate Film with Global Resonance
Through its minimalist setting and universal themes, My Father’s Scent transcends borders. It is a film about fathers and sons, guilt and grace, silence and reconciliation, a portrait of what happens when love and pain occupy the same home.
Mohamed Siam’s debut in narrative cinema is not only a personal achievement but also a milestone for contemporary Arab cinema, connecting the worlds of fiction and documentary, realism and poetry, politics and emotion.
As audiences left the El Gouna screening, one could feel the weight of its silence, the kind that lingers long after the credits roll.
