El Adl Group Takes Its First Step Into Short-Form Drama

After decades of shaping Egyptian television and cinema, El Adl Group is testing the waters of a more condensed storytelling format with Shebak Raqam 3 (Window No. 3), a new short-form drama series produced by Gamal El Adl and directed by Khaled Samy El Adl.

The project marks El Adl Group Digital’s first venture into short-form scripted drama, with a format built around 10 episodes, each running for 10 minutes. Based on an original concept by Khaled Samy El Adl and written by Hend Abduallah, the series brings a familiar name in Egyptian screen production into a format increasingly shaped by shorter viewing windows and changing audience habits.

El Adl Group’s legacy is rooted in Egyptian film and television; its move into short-form drama raises a question facing established production houses across the industry: what happens when storytelling has to fit a different screen, a different runtime and a different kind of audience attention?

With Shebak Raqam 3, the answer begins with compression. Ten-minute episodes leave less room for detours, placing greater weight on pacing, structure and the ability to establish a world quickly. Whether the format ultimately changes how the story is told remains to be seen, but the project signals El Adl Group Digital’s interest in expanding beyond more conventional series formats.

The production brings together Gamal El Adl and Khaled Samy El Adl, with Farha Tarek Bonna as executive producer and Karim Mohamed, known as keemokonoo, as director of photography. CairoScene’s exclusive behind-the-scenes footage offers a closer look at the making of the series as the production takes shape.