Sameh Alaa studied German literature at Cairo University. Before moving to Europe he worked as an assistant director in advertising and feature films. In 2016 he completed his MA in filmmaking at the EICAR film school in Paris. His first short film, Fifteen (2017), premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and won several awards around the world. I am Afraid to Forget Your Face became the first Egyptian film in 50 years to be selected for the Official Short Film Competition at the Festival de Cannes 2020, finally cancelled.
Festival de San Sebastián
