Egyptian Film ‘In the Name of Galeela’ Heads to Rotterdam

Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed El Zayat’s feature debut, In the Name of Galeela, has been selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, bringing a 1990s-set Egyptian dramedy starring Taha Desouky, Gihan El Shamashergy and Sawsan Badr to the international festival circuit.

Set in the 1990s, the film follows a young man attempting to help his grandmother fulfil her dream of performing Hajj. Balancing comedy with drama, In the Name of Galeela centres on an intergenerational story shaped by family ties, religious aspiration and the lengths we go to for the people we love.

The film marks El Zayat’s transition from commercial directing to feature-length cinema. Before making his debut, the Egyptian director built a career in advertising, working with agencies including BBDO and McCann Worldgroup. He later pursued an MFA in directing at the New York Film Academy, before returning to commercial filmmaking in 2012.