The actor received the award for his role in ‘Abu Saddam’, a 2021 drama directed by Nadine Khan, which saw its premiere during the last Cairo International Film Festival, which was held in December 2021.

It is during the CIFF that Mohamed Mamdouh also scooped another best actor award.

In the film, Mamdouh portrays a 40-year-old truck driver during his journey on the road to the North Coast.

During a panel discussion that took place within the CIFF’s programming, the director revealed that the film goes deep into the truck driver community, one that she has been exploring for several years following a tragic truck accident she saw on a road.

As Khan explained, the incident remained in her mind, prompting her to think about the people who spend long hours behind the wheel to make ends meet.

Abu Saddam is the first main role for Mamdouh. His previous roles included smaller appearances in films such as ‘The Knower’ (2021), ‘Ahl El-Kahf’ (2020), and ‘Sons of Rizk’ (2019), as well as numerous TV series, including ‘Take Care of Zizi’ (2021) and ‘Qabeel’ (2019).

The Malmö Arab Film Festival’s 12th edition took place from 4 to 9 May in the Swedish city of Malmö.

The festival screened 56 films (31 features and 25 shorts) produced by 14 different Arab countries and co-produced with 10 Western countries.

Other Egyptian films that were featured in the festival include ‘Souad’ by Ayten Amin, ‘Captains of Zaatari’ by Ali El Arabi, ‘From Cairo’ by Hala Galal, and ‘Khadiga’ by Morad Mostafa.

Also, From Cairo won the jury award in the Documentary Film Competition.