Omar El Zohairy, a talented Egyptian director, pursued his passion for cinema by studying at the Cairo Cinema Institute. His journey in the film industry began as an assistant director, working alongside renowned Egyptian directors such as Youssef Chahine, Yousry Nasrallah, and Sherif Arafa.
El Zohairy's first short film, Breathe Out, released in 2011, earned the Jury Special Mention Prize at the Dubai International Film Festival. This accomplishment was followed by his second short film, The Aftermath of The Inauguration of The Public Toilet at Kilometer 375, which made history as the first Egyptian film selected for the Cannes Cinefondation at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. The film went on to screen at various international film festivals, winning numerous awards, including the Best Short Film award at the Durban International Film Festival and the Best Student Live Action Short (over 15 minutes) award at the Palm Springs International ShortFest.
Feathers, El Zohairy's first feature film, made its mark by winning the Grand Prize of the International Critics' Week at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, a first for an Egyptian feature film in the festival's history. The film also received the FIPRESCI award for the best first feature in Cannes's parallel sections. Following its success, Feathers screened at several international film festivals, winning awards such as the Best Film award at the Roberto Rossellini Awards of the 5th Pingyao International Film Festival, the Special Mention award at the New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland, and the El Gouna Star for the Best Arab Narrative Film award at the El Gouna Film Festival.
Feathers continued its winning streak at the 32nd Carthage Film Festival (JCC),taking home four awards: the festival's top award, the Golden Tanit for Feature Fiction Film, the First Film Jury prize, which was awarded to Omar El Zohairy himself; the Prize for Best Screenplay, which was shared by El Zohairy and Ahmed Amer; and the Prize for Best Female Performance, which went to Demyana Nassar.
In addition to his film accolades, El Zohairy was recognized as the winner of the Variety Award for the MENA talent of the year 2021.
