Tamer Habib

It's said that the script is the essential element to make a great film, and when you have a great storytelling talent, this is when your films are best made. Tamer Habib is one of the most prolific screenwriters in Egypt and the Arab world. His innate writing talent cemented his name as one of Egypt's most sought-after screenwriters. Shortly after graduating from Egypt's Higher Institute of Cinema, Tamer Habib wrote his feature debut, Sahar El Layali (Sleepless Nights) in 2003, which revolutionized Egyptian and Arab cinema. Marking his breakthrough, the film had phenomenal success among critics and audiences alike. His next film is the rom-com Hob El Banat (2004) which was headlined by Laila Eloui and Ahmed Ezz, marking another tremendous success. Throughout his career, Habib excelled in being one of the best screenwriters to write scripts for star-stubbed films like Wahed Saheh (2011) that brought together the stars Hani Salama, Basma, Yasmin Raeis, and Amr Youssef. In 2006, he wrote the romantic drama An El Ashk Wel Hawa that brought together one of the Arab world's most loved on-screen couples, Ahmed El Sakka and Mona Zaki, who later starred in Habib's next rom-com hit Taymour w Shafika (2007). His writing credits also include one of the stories of 18 Yom (2011), which screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and Aswar al-Qamar (The Walls of the Moon) (2015), by director Tarek Alarian. Tamer's works have always been distinguished for their social controversial themes as most of his works tackle themes like marriage issues, divorce, unrequited love, and loving someone from another religion, among others. Habib managed to smoothly and boldly present these themes in his works in a realistic way. Habib also wrote a number of remarkable TV hits, including Khas Gedan (2009), Youssra's Sharbat Loaz (Sharbat, the Cunning) (2012), Tariqi (My Way) (2015), Grand Hotel (2016), La Totfe' Al-Shams (The Sun Will Never Set) (2017), which were screened during Ramadan seasons. His TV drama Le'abat Alnasyan (The Game of Forgetting) premiered on TV in Ramadan 2020, and for which he was voted Best Scriptwriter, among other awards the series received. In Ramadan 2021, Habib wrote and took part as an actor in the radio drama (A'ashan El Big Million) that aired on the same radio station. Building on it's big success in radio, Shahid.net is now working on a TV version of the drama (8 episodes). It is produced by Waleed Moustafa and MBC Studios. Also he is writing the screenplay for the remake of the classic film Anf w Thalath Oyoun, based on great Egyptian author Ihsan Abdel Quddous' novel of the same name. He is also working with director Sandra Nashaat on the upcoming film Shellet Lebon. The film is based on Hisham al-Khashin's book of the same name and headlined by a stellar cast of A-list stars, including Ahmed El-Sakka, Ahmed Ezz, Menna Shalaby, Ruby and Ghada Adel. On a parallel note, scriptwriter Tamer Habib is working on the script of film El Baqya Fee Hayatek (I am Sorry for Your Loss), marking the first collaboration between him and Marwan Hamed. The film is a black comedy, inspired by a true story that happened to Tamer. He also signed a contract with MBC Studios for series Utopia, a giant project that features a Pan-Arab cast. The series will be shot in the UAE and is set in 2012, during the events of the Arab Spring. Besides writing and acting, Habib also hosted a number of shows on radio, TV and other online platforms like the show The Game (2007) where he hosted many stars and celebrities taking them on a psychological adventure through several exciting games that challenge the strength of their focus, their imagination, and reactions. In 2021, Tamer was selected to be a jury member at the Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts. Before that, Tamer joined the jury panel of the Feature Film Competition at the Malmo Arab Film Festival, where he mentored a Scriptwriting Masterclass about Writing Adapted Screenplay that was moderated by Egyptian star Mona Zaki.