Marouan Omara is a filmmaker, programmer, educator, and arts administrator committed to promoting Arab and African cinema. He has significantly contributed to various organizations, including the International Documentary Association, the Doha Film Institute, the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Film Fund, Rough Cut Lab Africa, and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.
photo credit to Doreen Schwarz
In 2019, Marouan Omara's artistic achievements were recognized by the Egyptian Critics Association, which named his latest feature film, 'DREAMAWAY,' the best Egyptian film released in cinemas. The film received significant praise and was shortlisted for an Egyptian Oscar nomination.
His works have been featured at prestigious festivals such as Berlinale, Busan International Film Festival, Cairo International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, DOK Leipzig, Encounters, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, Kasseler Dokfest, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, BFI - London Film Festival, Moscow International Documentary Film Festival, Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal, and Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Various reputable entities distribute Omara's films, including Wide House in France, Arsenal Institut Für Film und Videokunst in Berlin, Real Fiction Film Distribution in Cologne, MAD Solutions in the MENA region, and Tetraktys Films in Cyprus. Additionally, his films can be accessed on The Arab Radio and Television Network (ART), Emirates Airways, and via VOD through the Doc Alliance Platform and OSN+.
Marouan co-founded "A Kiss in The Desert," a collective that plays a crucial role in nurturing emerging creative talent from Egypt in cinema. He has actively participated in film curation and is currently The Programmer Director of the Short Film Competition Program at the Cairo International Film Festival. Marouan has lectured on film at various institutions and universities since 2012, including The German University in Cairo, FilmArche Berlin, The American University in Cairo, Jesuit Film School Cairo, and The University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor/Course Director, leading the Film Production BA (Hons) at Coventry University's branch campus in Cairo, known as The Knowledge Hub (TKH).
Filmography:
* The Missing Planet (2025), with Tom Rosenberg. In-development
* Dreamaway (2018), with Johanna Domke
* One plus one makes a pharaoh's chocolate cake (2017) in collaboration with Islam Kamal
* Azziara “The Visit” (2015), with Nadia Mounier, in collaboration with Islam Kamal
* CROP (2013), with Johanna Domke