Mohamed
Abo El
Wafa

About

Mohamed Abo El Wafa (b.1991) is an Egyptian American filmmaker born and raised in Heliopolis, Cairo and educated in New York City. In 2017, he received a masters degree in Media Studies from The New School. He has worked with the New York Times, filmmaker Matthew Heineman, ACT UP, and the Syrian video collective, Abounaddara.

Early on, he photographed objects scattered around his bedroom, creating new worlds through his camera and using photography as a distraction from the real world. In 2011, during the Arab Spring, Abo El Wafa's perspective shifted. Photography, what helped remove him from the world, became his tool for connecting to reality. He spent time in the streets, meeting people, hearing their stories, and becoming engrossed in the broad range of experiences and perspectives that the people of one city could hold.

The exposure to politics, society, and humanity that came with protests and upheaval fueled a desire to use filmmaking and photography to uncover human truths. He is currently based between Cairo and New York.