The New Originals FW22

Sharif Abdel Mawla is a Dutch director with Egyptian roots.

Growing up in Amsterdam, his journey began as a creative for international brands and agencies, before he directed his first short '7 Moroccans and Jos'. A satirical homage to West Amsterdam, the film premiered at the Dutch Film Festival.

Since then, Sharif has developed a unique feature-film visual style. Through a profoundly human perspective, his films balance tongue-in-cheek humour with political nuance. Observational, timeless, and often toying with filmic self-awareness, Sharif marries cinematic craft together with subtle social commentary and surrealism. His vision has won him collaborations with Pepsi, Google, Adidas, and more. In addition to features on Nowness, Hypebeast, i-D, and It's Nice That, his work has received international recognition, including a Webby award, Cannes Lion, Lovie and Merit. 

His first feature, Casting Call, premiered last year to great acclaim. A mirror to a darker side of the film industry, Casting Call is born from the aspiring actors who would flood his DMs daily, each claiming to be “the best actor Amsterdam has ever seen”. Sharif is currently in development for his next feature.