Ali Sobhy Wins the Best Actor Award at the Dubai International Film Festival

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For His Role in Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim

Ali Sobhy Wins the Best Actor Award at the Dubai International Film Festival


Rising star Ali Sobhy won the Best Actor Award for his role in the film Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival, marking the film's first award. Directed by Sherif El Bendary, the film was competing within the Muhr Feature competition where it had its world premiere. Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim is scheduled to release in Egyptian theatres in the first quarter of 2017 by MAD Solutions and Film Clinic-Indie Distribution (FCID).

Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim has received a warm response from the audience, stars, and critics as well as much praise from filmmakers at its world premiere.

Ali Sobhy is a rising actor who began acting at a young age and won the first prize for acting at several school plays. Later on, he established the Hala Group for street theater and trained in the art of mime and street theater skills, contemporary dance, acrobats, and improvisation. Sobhy startedhis acting careeras a classical actor and won several awards. In 2010, along with a group of artists, he founded the first modern acrobat circus group in Egypt named Oota Hamra. Currently, Sobhy works as a professional actor and has taken part in Akher Ayam Al Madina (In the Last Days of the City), which won the Caligari Award at the 2016 Berlinale.

Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim follows a strange love story of a young man living in a rough neighborhood. He travels across Egypt on the recommendation of a psychic along with Ibrahim who is almost driven mad by the voices he hears in his head. Their journey turns into a voyage of friendship and self-discovery.

Directed by Sherif El Bendary, Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim is written by Ahmed Amer, based on Ibrahim El Batout's story and is produced by Mohamed Hefzy's Film Clinic, Transit Films of Hossam Elouan, and the French film production company Arizona Productions. The film's worldwide distribution is handled jointly by MAD Solutions and Film Clinic-Indie Distribution (FCID).

Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim introduces two acting prodigies; Ali Sobhy (Ein Shams - 2009) and Ahmed Magdy (The Gate of Departure - 2014), who star alongside Salwa Mohamed Aly and Nahed El Sebai.

The film had previously received three awards as part of the Final Cut in Venice Workshop at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in 2015, namely; 10,000 Euros worth award presented by the Paris-based CNC foundation to be spent during the post-production phase in France; 10,000 Euros provided by the French Knight works to be spent on the visual and special effects; in addition to 10,000 Euros provided by Titra TVS to be spent on the digital colors correction, DCP bar and providing film subtitles into French or English.

The film has received a post-production fund from SANAD Fund, and the Arab Funds for Arts and Culture (AFAC) grant in 2009, in addition to funding support from Doha Film Institute in 2013, chosen among 211 projects applied for the scholarship, and also gained the support of the Dubai Film Fund and Enjaaz within Dubai International Film Festival.