Mohamed Sami, the renowned Egyptian director known for his work with stars like Mohamed Ramadan, Tamer Hosni, Amr Saad, Haifa Wehbe, and Ghada Abdel-Razek, announced his retirement from television.
The news came in a post shared earlier on Thursday with his 3.8 million Facebook followers.
"This year marks my last television project. I bid farewell to TV series," Sami wrote. "It has been a long journey of about 15 years, during which I gave everything I could to bring joy to the Arab audience."
Sami reflected on his decision to retire, noting he had made it a while ago, though his commitments to companies and stars kept him in the industry until now. His latest work, Ish Ish (2025), was his final project. "I have nothing more to offer on television," Sami explained. "I fear the audience will become saturated with my style, and I might fall into repetition. Every day, my great country Egypt produces new, talented, and cultured creators who can offer better than what came before them, and we will always continue to present Egyptian works that the Arab audience will gather around."
The director also expressed gratitude to those who supported him throughout his career. "I’m convinced that a person can decide at any time to stop doing something they love to pursue something else they also love and want to try, but they need a family to support them," he said, revealing plans to travel abroad and continue his academic journey.
Sami's career began with music videos for Haifa Wehbe, leading to his first steps in television with Adam (2011) starring Tamer Hosni, Maa Sabq Alesrar (Premeditation, 2012), and Hekayet Hayah (The Story of Hayat, 2013) both starring Ghada Abdel-Razek, in addition to Words on Paper (2014) with Haifa Wehbe.
He then wrote and directed Regatta (2015) starring Amr Saad, Tisbah ala Khair (Goodnight, 2017) starring Tamer Hosni, Seed El Nass (2024) with Amr Saad, as well as several works starring Mohamed Ramadan, including the movie Detention Letter (2017) and TV series Al-Ostora (The Legend, 2016), Al-Prince (The Prince, 2020), and Jaafar El-Omda (2023).
Sami's post quickly garnered thousands of reactions, including a message from longtime collaborator Tamer Hosni.
"You're truly the only director in the history of Egypt who has never failed, and maybe luck wasn’t entirely on your side with one or two works over 14 years. I would be upset if you walked away discouraged because you are the most successful person," he said, referring to some critique and discouragement that Sami had received during his work in the film and TV industry.
"The green tree sometimes grows yellow leaves, which are eventually shed, leaving behind a strong and beautiful tree. This is the natural progression of a human being, and it’s something that every successful person experiences. Don’t let yourself get discouraged," he added.
"I know that Mohamed Sami, whom I discovered and introduced to the industry when he was 27, will never be shaken. Take a little rest and come back stronger than before. I’m confident that the journey you’re embarking on will lead to a huge leap in your career," Hosni continued.
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