About
We make films about real people, with real responsibility
Filmzion is an independent production company developing documentary and narrative films rooted in research, people, history and memory.
The team
Mohamed Mamdouh Hebeshy
Writer, director and film producer
A researcher and filmmaker with a master's degree in folklore from the Academy of Arts in Cairo. He has directed more than twenty documentaries and short narrative films for Al Jazeera Documentary and Al Jazeera English, and directed the podcast At Nuny's Home.
He has written for the shows El Da7ee7 and Fi El Hadara and the podcast Mesh Fahem with Islam Fawzy, and co-wrote the drama series Molouk El Gadaana, Abwab El Khouf and El Eyada. His books include the novel Rahanat Al-Aslaf (2025) and The Rise of Independent Cinema in Egypt (2016).
The rules we work by
Accuracy before spectacle
Every fact in our films is double-verified. Visual beauty never compensates for an error in the truth.
Characters are not material
We work with informed consent and source protection, and give our contributors the right to understand how their story will be told.
Time is part of the budget
We do not shoot a one-year film in two weeks. We say so clearly in the first meeting.
Arabic and global at once
We write and shoot in Arabic and English, and know how a film reaches both regional and international audiences.
Awards and recognition
Co-production Award
Presented by Al Jazeera Documentary for Return to the Zoo at the Luxor African Film Festival.
Tejumola Olaniyan Fellowship Award
A creative residency fellowship from The Africa Institute at the University of Global Studies in Sharjah.
Best Short Film
For Less Than an Hour at Egypt's National Film Festival.
Abdel Hay Adib Screenwriting Award
Fourth place.
Critics' Jury
Member of the critics' jury at the Ismailia Festival for Documentary and Short Films.