“Very happy to announce that my first feature project, Aisha Can't Fly Away Anymore, was selected for the prestigious programme,” stated Mostafa on Tuesday, thanking the film’s crew and producer Sawsan Yusuf, who was also invited by La Fabrique.

Co-written by Mohamad Abdel-Qader, Aisha Can't Fly Away Anymore is co-produced by Mohamed Hefzy, Safei El-Din Mahmoud, Sherif Fathy, and Basel Mawlawi, with Film Clinic acting as its distributor.

La Fabrique Cinéma is a tailored programme that helps talented young directors from emerging countries increase their international exposure.

Each year, the programme — which is developed by the Institut Français in partnership with many sponsors — invites ten directors working on their first or second feature films to attend the Festival de Cannes along with their producers.

Morad Mostafa, 34, has been touring the world in recent years with his first three short films — ‘Henet Ward’, ‘What We Don't Know About Mariam’, and ‘Khadiga’ — which have competed in over 100 festivals across the globe and earned him dozens of awards, including Oscar and BAFTA qualifying awards.

Mostafa previously worked as an assistant director for many important names, including Hala Khalil, Sherif El-Bendary, Mohamed Diab, and Ayten Amin in her 2020-Cannes-selected feature ‘Souad.’