At the 46th Cairo International Film Festival, celebrated Egyptian novelist and screenwriter Ahmed Mourad offered an in-depth look at his current cinematic projects, the evolution of his writing career, and the challenges of engaging younger audiences.
Mourad spoke during a panel titled “A Renewed Look at Genre Cinema: From Festival Screens to Mainstream Audiences,” held in the presence of producer Moufida Fedala and moderated by Simona Nobile.
Mourad discussed the behind-the-scenes journey of his upcoming film “El-Sett”, starring Mona Zaki and set for release in less than a month.
He described the project as one of the most demanding works he and director Marwan Hamed have undertaken.
“El-Sett is one of the hardest films I’ve worked on. It doesn’t rely on the thriller elements that usually attract audiences,” Mourad said.
“We’re portraying a real woman who lived among us. Many people ask: what’s new to show? But every generation has the right to discover her in its own way.”
Mourad added that the film intentionally strips away fantasy, graphics, and action, focusing instead on a purely human narrative.
He emphasized the importance of restoring the presence of women-led films in Egyptian cinema:
“We made ‘El-Sett’ with a strong Egyptian female lead, and we’re showing sides of her story no one knows — human, intimate, and real.”
During the session, Mourad reflected on the origins of his bestselling novel “The Blue Elephant”, revealing that the project began in 2010 after his early experiments in crime and political fiction. After the 2011 revolution, he paused writing to better understand the new social reality.
Mourad admitted that the writing process was emotionally draining: “Every day I told myself: this is the last book; it was too heavy and didn’t feel like my genre,” he said.
Still, he was determined to introduce fantasy and psychological horror to a more mature readership.
To do so, he used what he called an “artistic trick”: the novel was marketed initially as a crime story, then gradually shifted genre mid-way.
The novel’s widespread popularity paved the way for its cinematic adaptation. Mourad revealed that he first sent the manuscript informally to director Marwan Hamed in 2012, when it still carried the working title “8 Gharb (8 West)”.
The name change came unexpectedly during a lunch with his mother, when he decided on a title that aligned better with the novel’s world, and his personal fondness for elephants and the color blue.
He described his book titles as: “Clear, yet their meaning isn’t obvious — the aim is to provoke the reader’s curiosity from the very first moment.”
Mourad confirmed that he and Hamed are currently developing the third installment of the “Blue Elephant” film series, with shooting scheduled to begin next month.
He noted that fantasy films are the most challenging and costly to produce, requiring substantial technical and visual effort.
However, he stressed that novels offer a unique depth that helps expand cinematic worlds into multi-part franchises — especially now that global platforms are more interested in genre-driven storytelling.
Mourad also addressed the changing nature of audiences, especially younger generations: “Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the hardest audiences to reach,” he said, explaining that short-form content like social media reels has reduced young people’s ability to stay engaged with long-form reading.
He shared that he avoids wasting time online at night, preferring content that stimulates his mind. Writing for this new generation requires more effort, he said, as each generation has its own perceptions, pace, and lifestyle.
“Parents want their children to relive their experiences, but every generation evolves differently. I’m learning from my daughter. She helps me stay connected to what’s new.”
Sometimes, Mourad steps away from social media entirely to preserve his focus on the message and visuals of his work.
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