CinemaNA: My Driver And I by Ahd Kamel

A screening of the film, My Driver and I, accompanied by a live conversation with Saudi Arabian filmmaker Ahd Kamel

In 80s and 90s Jeddah, a Saudi girl and her Sudanese driver form an unlikely friendship which is tested when she starts to take the wheel. Salma, a young privileged and rebellious girl from Saudi, is born to a strict grief-stricken mother and a loving but absent workaholic father. Gamar, a young Sudanese man, left his family and moved to Jeddah to earn a living driving Salma. My Driver and I is the story of Salma and Gamar’s relationship and how quickly it evolves from a simple master/servant dynamic to an intimate personal friendship that bonds them through her teenage years and beyond. Salma eventually realises, possibly too late, that Gamar wasn't just her driver, he was her best friend and she was his. The story is about independence and finding family in the most unusual places. He drives her in a car, but ultimately enables her to take the wheel of her own life's journey.

Biographies

Ahd Kamel

Ahd Hassan Kamel is an award-winning actress and filmmaker from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is best known for her starring role in the 2014 BAFTA-nominated film WADJDA, her role as Fatima in the 2018 BBC2/Netflix series COLLATERAL, and co- starring in Amazon’s 2022 thriller ALL THE OLD KNIVES alongside Chris Pine, Thandie Newton, and Lawrence Fishburne.

Ahd grew up in Saudi Arabia and moved to New York City in 1998. She received a BFA in Animation & Communication from Parsons School of Design in 2014 and a Directing degree from the New York Film Academy in 2015. Ahd then went on to study acting under the personal tutelage of William Esper at the William Esper Studio.

Ahd has written, directed and acted in her two award-winning short films, THE SHOEMAKER 'Al-Qondorji' (2009) and SANCTITY 'Hurma' (2012) - the first Saudi film to compete at the Berlinale.

Ahd was selected as a Young Global Leader in 2019 by the World Economic Forum.

Caspian Films

Caspian Films was founded in 2018 by producers Thembisa Cochrane and Georgie Paget. They share a passion for cinema and storytelling and have partnered to bring engaging, entertaining films with unique voices and fresh perspectives to international audiences. The company most recently completed THE COLOUR ROOM for Sky Cinema, directed by Claire McCarthy (Ophelia), starring Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) and Matthew Goode (The Imitation Game), and has a variety of other films in development with acclaimed international writers and directors.

WRITER Ahd Kamel

CINEMATOGRAPHER Frida Marzouk

SOUND Emmanuel Zouki

EDITOR Andonis Trattos

MUSIC Marc Codsi

CAST

Salma - Roula Dakheelallah
Gamar - Mustafa Shehata
Sarah - Rana Alamuddin
Ahmad - Qusai Kheder

Cairo Film Connection 8th Edition (2021) - Winner New Black Award, The Cell Award

Recipient of UK Global Screen Fund grant.

Recipient of Red Sea Film Foundation funds.