Marking an unprecedented milestone for Egyptian cinematography on the international stage, award-winning DOP Mostafa El Kashef makes history as the first Egyptian cinematographer to return to the Cannes Film Festival (May 12th–23rd) for four consecutive years, securing his place among the Arab region’s most dynamic creative forces.
This year, El Kashef heads to Cannes with "Ben'Imana," by Rwandan director Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, serving as director of photography on the film, which will have its world premiere in the festival’s Un Certain Regard section.
With this latest selection, El Kashef not only cements his reputation as a regular fixture at Cannes but also reinforces how his visual style and craftsmanship elevate powerful storytelling, helping these works gain the recognition they deserve on the international festival circuit and beyond.
El Kashef’s Cannes journey began in 2023 with Morad Mostafa’s "I Promise You Paradise," which competed in Critics’ Week, earning the Nikon Discovery Award and the Rail d’Or — making it the first Egyptian film to win the award in that section — and later securing him over a dozen Best Cinematography awards worldwide.
He returned the following year with Mo Harawe’s "The Village Next To Paradise," which premiered in Un Certain Regard as the first-ever Somali-shot film to screen at Cannes, earning widespread critical acclaim and later winning him Best Cinematography awards at film festivals, including Carthage and Diagonale.
In 2025, El Kashef continued this streak with Morad Mostafa’s "Aisha Can’t Fly Away," also selected for Un Certain Regard, marking Egypt’s return to the section after nearly a decade. And now, in 2026, El Kashef returns with Dusabejambo’s "Ben'Imana".
Set in Rwanda in 2012 in the aftermath of the genocide, "Ben'Imana" follows a woman who believes in community justice and reconciliation. As she organizes dialogue sessions between victims and perpetrators’ families, her personal life starts to unravel when she faces her daughter’s unexpected pregnancy, forcing her to confront her own past. The film — produced by Samantha Biffot and Marie Epiphanie Uwayezu with support from institutions including the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund and the Red Sea Souk — is deeply character-driven and emotionally charged, making El Kashef’s visual approach central to its impact.
Mostafa El Kashef is an award-winning Egyptian director of photography whose work has garnered wide recognition across major international festivals. A graduate of EICAR in Paris and the Higher Institute of Cinema in Cairo, he first gained international exposure with Anja Kirschner’s "Moderation," which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.
His debut feature, "19 B", earned the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the Cairo International Film Festival, while his shorts — including "My Festival," "Jebel Banat," and "This Is My Night" — screened at Tribeca, El Gouna, and Geneva, winning multiple awards.
El Kashef’s breakthrough came in 2021 when three of his films, "CAI - BER," "Khadija," and "What We Don’t Know about Maryam," all premiered at Clermont-Ferrand, followed by "I Promise You Paradise," which competed at Cannes Critics’ Week and won the Rail d’Or alongside more than a dozen Best Cinematography awards worldwide. His feature "The Village Next To Paradise," received standing ovations at Cannes and earned Best Cinematography at Carthage and Diagonale, while "Aisha Can’t Fly Away," made history as the first Egyptian film in nine years to compete in Un Certain Regard.
He also co-founded Qaa’23, his production company, which produced "I Promise You Paradise" and "Enough Water to Drown."
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