Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) announced that young Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek was nominated for the best lead actor award for his film The Furnace, while the film itself was nominated for the Best  AACTA Awards which is the counterpart to the United States’ Academy Awards and the United Kingdom’s British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).
 
Marking a mile stone in his acting career, Ahmed Malek competes for this award with a slew of international actors, including Eric Bana, Simon Baker, and Caleb Landry Jones.
 
On the other hand, the Best Lead Actress in Film award witnessed the competition of some prolific names, such as Naomi Watts and Rose Byrne. This nomination comes in addition to the critical praise and acclaim that Ahmed Malek received for his performance in the film upon its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival: “Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek (a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2018) is immediately engaging as Hanif” as it was stated by the Screen Daily. Malek also garnered a wide acclaim after the film landed its Arab world premiere at El Gouna Film Festival, where he was described as ”truly talented in acting and deserves to be a global actor.” by Tarek El Shennawy.
 
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually to recognize excellence in the film and television industry, both locally and internationally, including the producers, directors, actors, writers, and cinematographers. It is the most prestigious awards ceremony for the Australian film and television industry. They are generally considered to be the Australian counterpart of the Academy Awards for the U.S. and the BAFTA Awards for the U.K.
 
1897 Western Australia. To escape a harsh existence and return home, a young Afghan cameleer partners with a mysterious bushman on the run with two 400oz Crown-marked gold bars. Together the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace - the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown. Written and directed by Roderick MacKay, The Furnace stars Ahmed Malek, David Wenham and Jay Ryan.
 
Ahmed Malek landed a number of works in 2021. He took part in the Ramadan TV drama Nasl Al Aghrab alongside superstars Ahmed Sakka and Amir Karara. He is also starring in the upcoming TV drama Tahqeeq (Investigation) that is slated to premiere on WATCH iT, and Bimbo that shall premiere on Shahid.net. Directed by Amr Salama, Bimbo also stars Huda El Mufti and Wegz. Ahmed Malek also headlines Hadi El Bagoury’s Amar 14 film that landed its world premiere at 2021 El Gouna Film Festival, and Kira & El Gin by Marwan Hamed. Based on Ahmed Mourad's best-selling novel, 1919, the film stars Ahmed Ezz, and Karim Abdel Aziz, and is produced by Synergy Films as one of the most expensive Egyptian films.