<p>Egypt has officially selected Happy Birthday, directed by Sara Gouhar and starring Nelly Karim and Hanan Motawie, as the country&rsquo;s submission for the 2025 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The decision was made after a majority vote by the Egyptian Cinema Syndicate&rsquo;s selection committee.</p>
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<p><strong>How Egypt Made Its Pick</strong><br />Sixteen members of the committee attended the voting session, with Happy Birthday securing the win through nine votes&mdash;just over the 50% mark. Other contenders included The Brink of Dreams (4 votes), Seeking Heaven for Mr. Rambo (2 votes), and Snow White (1 vote).</p>
<p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XjAYJkuYH4Y" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>From Tribeca to the Oscars</strong><br />The selection follows the film&rsquo;s big moment at Tribeca 2025, where it won three awards, including Best International Narrative Feature and Best Screenplay. The story centers on a young maid in Cairo who dreams of celebrating her birthday while working in the home of an affluent family.</p>
<p><strong>Egypt&rsquo;s Road to the Academy Awards</strong></p>
<p>This isn&rsquo;t Egypt&rsquo;s first shot at Oscar gold. Over the years, the country has submitted more than 30 films for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category. Here&rsquo;s a look back at the standout entries that have shaped Egypt&rsquo;s journey to Hollywood.</p>
<p>&bull;<strong> Cairo Station (1958)</strong> by Youssef Chahine, Hind Rostom, Farid Shawki<br />Qinawi, a disabled man, becomes dangerously obsessed with Hanuma, leading to tragedy at the station.<br />&bull;<strong> The Nightingale&rsquo;s Prayer (1959)</strong> by Henry Barakat, Faten Hamama, Ahmed Mazhar<br />Amna seeks revenge for her sister&rsquo;s death but falls for the man she planned to kill.<br />&bull;<strong> The Teenagers (1960)</strong> by Ahmed Diaa Eddine, Magda, Rushdy Abaza<br />Three schoolgirls navigate love, abuse, and rebellion in conservative society.<br />&bull; <strong>Oh Islam (1961)</strong> by Enrico Bomba &amp; Andrew Marton, Ahmed Mazhar<br />A historical epic on the Mamluks&rsquo; defense of Egypt against Mongol invasions.<br />&bull; <strong>The Thief and the Dogs (1962)</strong> by Kamal El Sheikh, Shadia, Shukry Sarhan<br />A thief released from prison seeks revenge on those who betrayed him.<br />&bull;<strong> The Mother of the Bride (1963)</strong> by Atef Salem, Taheyya Kariokka<br />A mother sacrifices everything to marry off her daughter, exposing family struggles.<br />&bull; <strong>The Impossible (1965)</strong> by Hussein Kamal, Nadia Lutfi<br />A woman&rsquo;s forbidden love defies social norms, leading to tragedy.<br /><strong>&bull; Cairo 30 (1966)</strong> by Salah Abu Seif, Soad Hosny, Ahmed Mazhar<br />A young woman is forced into a corrupt marriage to support her poor family.<br /><strong>&bull; The Mummy (1969)</strong> by Shadi Abdel Salam, Ahmed Marei<br />Two brothers uncover their family&rsquo;s secret involvement in stealing ancient artifacts.<br />&bull; <strong>A Woman and a Man (1971)</strong> by Hossam El Din Mostafa, Soad Hosny<br />A romantic drama about love versus social expectations.<br />&bull; <strong>My Wife and the Dog (1971)</strong> by Said Marzouk, Souad Hosny<br />A wife suffers loneliness and suspicion while her husband works away on an island.<br /><strong>&bull; Empire M (1972)</strong> by Hussein Kamal, Faten Hamama, Ahmed Mazhar<br />A widowed mother struggles to raise her children with modern values.<br />&bull; <strong>I Want a Solution (1975)</strong> by Said Marzouk, Faten Hamama<br />A woman battles Egypt&rsquo;s divorce laws in a fight for her rights.<br />&bull; <strong>Whom Should We Shoot? (1975)</strong> by Kamal El Sheikh, Soad Hosny, Mahmoud Yassine<br />A social drama on corruption, morality, and justice.<br /><strong>&bull; Alexandria&hellip; Why? (1979)</strong> by Youssef Chahine, Naglaa Fathy<br />Autobiographical tale of a boy dreaming of Hollywood in WWII Alexandria.<br /><strong>&bull; People on the Top (1981)</strong> by Ali Badrakhan, Soad Hosny, Nour El Sherif<br />A story of corruption, power, and the struggles of the working class.<br />&bull;<strong> Alexandria Again and Forever (1990)</strong> by Youssef Chahine<br />A meta-film where Chahine reflects on cinema, politics, and his own life.<br /><strong>&bull; Land of Dreams (1993)</strong> by Daoud Abdel Sayed, Faten Hamama<br />An aging singer chases an American visa while reflecting on lost dreams.<br /><strong>&bull; Destiny (1997)</strong> by Youssef Chahine, Nour El Sherif<br />The story of Averroes, the philosopher defending freedom of thought in Andalusia.<br />&bull;<strong> Girls&rsquo; Secrets (2001)</strong> by Magdy Ahmed Ali<br />A young girl hides her pregnancy in a conservative family.<br /><strong>&bull; Sleepless Nights (2003)</strong> by Hani Khalifa, Mona Zaki<br />A drama of four friends facing love, betrayal, and personal crises.<br /><strong>&bull; I Love Cinema (2004)</strong> by Osama Fawzy, Laila Elwi<br />A boy&rsquo;s passion for film clashes with his conservative father.<br />&bull;<strong> The Yacoubian Building (2006)</strong> by Marwan Hamed, Adel Imam<br />Interwoven stories of corruption, sexuality, and politics inside a Cairo building.<br />&bull;<strong> In the Heliopolis Apartment (2007)</strong> by Mohamed Khan, Ghada Adel<br />A woman faces nostalgia and change while selling her mother&rsquo;s apartment.<br />&bull; <strong>The Island (2007)</strong> by Sherif Arafa, Ahmed El Sakka<br />A gangster controls an island through drugs and power until rebellion rises.<br />&bull;<strong> Messages from the Sea (2010)</strong> by Daoud Abdel Sayed, Asser Yassin<br />A withdrawn man finds love and meaning in Alexandria&rsquo;s fading beauty.<br />&bull;<strong> Lust (2011)</strong> by Khaled El Hagar, Sawsan Badr<br />A mother fights poverty and dreams of a better life for her children.<br />&bull;<strong> Winter of Discontent (2013)</strong> by Ibrahim El Batout<br />Personal stories unfold during Egypt&rsquo;s 2011 revolution.<br />&bull; <strong>Factory Girl (2014)</strong> by Mohamed Khan, Yasmin Raeis<br />A poor factory worker falls for a rich man, facing class conflict.<br /><strong>&bull; Clash (2016)</strong> by Mohamed Diab<br />Arrested protesters from opposing sides are trapped in a police van.<br />&bull; <strong>Sheikh Jackson (2017)</strong> by Amr Salama, Ahmed Malek<br />A conservative sheikh faces an identity crisis after Michael Jackson&rsquo;s death.<br />&bull;<strong> Judgement Day (2018)</strong> by A.B. Shawky<br />A leper and an orphan boy embark on a road trip across Egypt.<br /><strong>&bull; Poisonous Roses (2019)</strong> by Ahmed Fawzi Saleh<br />A tanner&rsquo;s sister sabotages his plans to escape poverty.<br /><strong>&bull; When We&rsquo;re Born (2020)</strong> by Tamer Ezzat<br />Three parallel stories of love, dreams, and social struggles in Cairo.<br /><strong>&bull; Souad (2021)</strong> by Ayten Amin<br />Two sisters in Zagazig struggle with identity, social media, and secrets.<br /><strong>&bull; Voy! Voy! Voy! (2023)</strong> by Omar Hilal, Bayoumi Fouad, Mohamed Farag, Nelly Karim<br />A man fakes blindness to join a football team for the visually impaired.</p>
<p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5MtmzfD9jaE" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><strong>&bull; Flight 404 (2024)</strong> by Hisham Saqr, Mona Zaki<br />A young woman searches for her missing brother amid political unrest.<br /><strong>&bull; Happy Birthday (2025)</strong> by Sara Gouhar, Nelly Karim<br />A drama about family ties and resilience in the face of hardship.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Photo Credit:</strong> Sarah Gohar's official page&nbsp;</p>

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