Egyptian Film director and writer.

Hesham Issawi was born in Egypt and raised in a devoutly intellectual Egyptian family. He moved to America in 1990 to study anthropology.
In America he changed his major from anthropology to art and photography. This is where he learned his love of light, the ability to show emotion through shadow and painting a story through the lens. He changed his major to filmmaking.

He attended film school, Columbia College/Chicago, and Graduated in 1999. Issawi began his career working in local TV station as an editor and in the documentary world before directing a few short subjects of his own. In 2000 he C0- Produced the Documentary, "Saving the sphinx," for the Learning Channel.

In 2002 Issawi love of noir Films manifested in his short Film, The Interrogation, which he wrote and directed. It won Best Creative Short film in New York Film Festival and Best Music Score in the California International Film Festival. In 2003, he Co-wrote and directed the short film, T For Terrorist, winner of Best Short Film in both Boston and San Francisco Film Festivals. In 2006 he directed his feature debut,

AmericanEast. The movie explores the plight of Middle Eastern people in America post 9/11 and won best picture in Madrid Film Festival, 2008.

Hesham lives between Cairo and Los Angeles since 2007. He wrote two scripts that dealt with the new climate in Egypt and became active in the political scene believing that changes can happen in this part of the world.

Cairo Exit (2011) is his latest project. The movie was shot in Cairo.


Hesham Issawi Filmography:

DIRECTOR:
Cairo Exit (2011)
AmericanEast (2007)
T for Terrorist (2003)
The Interrogation (2002)

Writer:
Cairo Exit (2011) (writer)
AmericanEast (2007) (writer)
T for Terrorist (2003) (writer)
The Interrogation (2002/I) (writer)
Saving Egyptian Film Classics (2002) (writer)

Editor:
Things You Don't Tell... (2006)
Voices of Iraq (2005)
T for Terrorist (2003)
The Interrogation (2002/I)
Saving Egyptian Film Classics (2002)
The Mole (Reality TV SHOW) 2001
Saving the Sphinx (TV) 1998 (assistant Editor)

Producer:
It's Not Just You, Tommy Chu! (2006) (executive producer)
Mush (2005) (producer)
T for Terrorist (2003) (producer)
The Interrogation (2002/I) (producer)
Saving the Sphinx (1998) (TV) (co-producer