Our team.

PROFESSOR MohamMED HASHEM

PRESIDENT OF TAFTA MENA/AFRICA REGION

Professor Mohammed Hashem is an award winning Australian Egyptian director of theatre and films, international media and communications speaker. He has been in the industry in Australia since 1990 in Drama and film.  He had further training with  Howard Fine Hollywood studios and West End London. He has been producing and directing plays and films in Australia, France and Spain and for the past nine years in Cairo, Egypt. He has made some very interesting work that has had much media attention internationally. He continues to be a faculty member teaching documentary filmmaking and storytelling, voice coaching at the American University in Cairo and was a  Professor of filmmaking and media production at the British University. He developed over 100 syllabi for theatre , media and film at an academic level and is excited with the new university collaborations for micro credential courses and professional development programs for the region.

Dr. Ahlam Othman

HEAD OF FILM & MEDIA CONFERENCES & ANNUAL PUBLICATIONs 

Dr. Ahlam Othman is an Associate Professor of English Language & Literature at the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, British University in Egypt. She has a Ph.D. in English Literature from Al-Azhar University and two MA degrees: one in English Literature from Al-Azhar University and the other in TEFL from the AUC. In addition, Dr. Othman has registered for another Ph.D. in Comaprative Poetics. Dr. Othman’s research interests are English Literature, Comparative Literature, Literary Translation, and Interdisciplinary Studies. She has translated four volumes of poetry and a book on Comparative Poetics into English. In addition, she edited and participated in the translation of several books into Arabic. She is a member of the Egyptian Writers’ Union, a board member of the Egyptian Society of Comparative Literature, editor of Muqaranat, an annual journal and a reviewer for the National Center for Translation and a number of International Journals. Dr Ahlam is head of TAFTA MENA Region Film and Media conferences.  She teaches Adaptations of Literary Works into Films and Localisation of Western Literature and Films.

Moataz El-Kady

e-LEARNING TRAIN THE TRAINER 

Moataz El-Kady has an extensive history in marketing , business development management and training. He has an MBA from the American University in Cairo and is also completing an Engineering Masters. His work has been praised by many large sized corporations and faculty institutions. Moataz is a certified trainer and social media specialist. He brings to TAFTA his experience in the LMS , augmented reality and the online e-learning realm for our instructors.

Dalia Ashraf

TELEVISION PRESENTER & THEATRE ACTRESS

TV PRESENTING PROGRAM 

Dalia Ashraf is a Television presenter and theatre actress who presents the Good Morning Egypt show on DMC Channel. She graduated from Mass communication, Cairo University in 2009. In 2010 She started her Media Career as a TV reporter as in different Egyptian channels and then went on to become  a TV presenter in 2017 presenting the main morning show in Egypt. She also studied a Masters degree at the American University in Cairo and she is now Teaching Assistant at AUC. She gives different media programs in many adult learning faculties and also for the youth at academies . She is also an actress at the opera house in Egypt with the well known director Mr.Khaled Galal and she participated in the world youth theatre -in front of many world leaders- She continues to provide and achieve amazing results in media and theatre.

lara magdy

STUDENT QUALITY ASSURANCE CO-ORDINATOR

Lara Magdy is an award Filmamker winner in the BEA Festival of Media Arts. She won the first place award in international TV News reporting in 2022, Las Vegas. She is a filmmaker and enjoys all media work like scriptwriting, directing and production. She received her Master’s degree in TV and Digital Journalism at AUC in 2021. Her love for media was past down by her mother who is a veteran TV presenter and media personality. Lara has also presented TV shows on prestigious channels. Lara is of half Egyptian half Italian heritage and is continuing to explore and create great content across different cultures.

Hayat Selim

MUSIC COMPOSER/ SINGER SONG WRITER

FILM MUSIC PROGRAM

Hayat Selim is an Egyptian London based composer, singer-songwriter and voice recording artist. She moved from Cairo to the United Kingdom in 2017 on a scholarship to do her Masters in composition for screen at the Royal College of Music, London, and graduated in 2019.  Hayat’s compositional work varies from game and film music, to advertisement and her solo song project in various genres mainly fusing Western cinematic sound with world music influences, electronic music and voice. In 2018 Hayat was profiled in Meagan Marie’s book Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play for her work in the Indie gaming industry in Egypt and her soundtrack The Great Red Spot was broadcast on BBC 3 Radio’s Late Junction show for the 50th of Apollo11. Hayat’s original song and composition Mirage for the short film by Lena Srinivasan was nominated in the ‘Best Song’ category of the Jerry Goldsmith Awards 2019 and started opening doors in singing on media projects. In 2020 Hayat was commissioned by Dynamedion to be the featured singer and composer of Sonuscore and Steinberg’s Ethnic Vocal Phrases - by Hayat Selim virtual instrument library and has sung on various video games and films since including Age of Empires IV, ‘Chivalry 2’ and ‘The Forgiven’. Her most recent commissions have been writing music for two immersive historical experiences in Egypt due opening by the end of 2022.

Zenah Helmy

OWAS Ray Mwape - Director of oram film academy & casting

Owas Ray Mwape is a professional film maker and multi award winning director and is known in  Zambia as the 'film guru Owas'. He was also lead actor in Rugano Nyonis in the award winning Mwansa the great and late Catherine Kaseketi SUWI. He has produced many films for Zambian cinemas with projects like CHENDA, voted film of the year 2015, SBI, Multi choice ZAFTA film of the year 2017, best director and best script, GIRLS TO LADIES, MINISTER’S HOUSE and many other projects. Owas is the CEO of Oram Group, which comprises Oram media works, Owas films and Oram film training academy and casting. Owas is Zambia's representative for African film consortium and marketing consultant. He was one of the founders of the advanced popular theatre in East Africa in the early 90s, which he later transformed into video fare technology. Owas is director of 'Zambezi magic biggest TV series' and founder of the film makers guild of Zambia where he sits on the Oscars committee. In 2021, he founded a film academy under the Oram Experiential Marketing dynamics. He is currently one of the directors of the hit Telenovela ZUBA.

Hassan Elshawaf

FOUNDER OF YOUNG FILM SCHOOL

KIDS PROGRAM WITH TAFTA

Hassan is a young Filmmaker and Entrepreneur, he made 6 short films that has been selected to participate in many international and local  film festivals. He has a passion for developing young minds into all facets of filming: from acting to cinematography and camera skills:  he is the founder of  the Young Film School

Mariam El-Shathly

new media and production , AI for film program.

Mariam El-Shathly graduated from Qatar University - Class 2012 and received her Master’s degree in Television and Digital Journalism from the American University in Cairo (AUC). The program provided her with a comprehensive knowledge of the theories and practice of television journalism and new media. She has a passion for the field of broadcasting and digital journalism with a focus on practical reporting and correspondence, film production in a fast-paced, technology-driven world of digital media. She has been an online producer for many big media and Film production houses in the MENA region including the MBC  Group. TAFTA MENA region is glad to have her on board in the new media and production , AI for film program.

linda Cleary

CREATIVE WRITING FOR Stage & Screen

Linda Cleary is a British born Irish diaspora writer, currently living in Cornwall, UK. She is a Literary Arts Consultant delivering courses, coaching, editing services and literary events and has been working with writers and delivering workshops in Creative Writing, Theatre and related Arts, to a wide demographic of age and ability and in many varied settings, since 1991; working in UK, Holland, Czech Republic, Australia and Egypt as well as online. Her own work has been published in various journals plus spoken word, audio and poetry film. Linda has been curating a Literary Fiction Department for Cornwall small press Hypatia Publications from 2019 to 2022 and in that time has project managed four releases.

Mohamed alaa elden. Production manager regional office

sudania 24tv

Mohamed is a professional videographer in the entertainment media industry with a strong background in the region and is also a producer and director of in studio filming and production.
He is a prolific filmmaker and media practitioner and TAFTA MENA are extremely happy to have him head our Sudanese program.

DIRECTOR TAREK SHERIF

TAFTA INTERNSHIPS ON LOCATION FILMING PROGRAM

Director Tarek Sherif is a highly motivated and imaginative filmmaker with 21 years of experience in directing, supervising, editing documentaries, TV commercials and TV series in the Middle East. He has a degree in Film - Higher Institute of Cinema (HCI), 1998. Sherif has a strong passion for working in visual media. He has become a very prolific and important director. Directing over 300 TV commercials Working with many diverse sets, locations and celebrities including Pepsi and AMR DIAB

MAZEN KHAIRY

FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AMMA media house

Mazen Khairy is a young entrepreneur who owns and manages Amma media house and Skapluie digital marketing agency. Mazen holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a bachelors degree with honors from the Arab Academy for science technology & Maritime transport in Egypt
Amma media House is a media production & digital marketing agency located in Cairo, Egypt, Skapluie is powered by Amma. Amma is a production House that provides a wide range of services starting from music studio, video shooting, editing and music workshops with professional instructors. Skapluie offers all marketing and branding services in the most efficient ways, Digital Marketing that makes our clients go viral, and Web and app development. Mazen in collaboration with TAFTA hopes to make Amma Production house one of the biggest production and marketing agency in the middle east within the upcoming decade.

JAMES YOUNG

TAFTA MUSICAL THEATRE AND OPERA VOCAL PROGRAM

James Young is an Australian Opera & Musical Theatre performer and Winner of both the 2021 John Wegner and Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto award(s). Australian baritone James Young has worked with some of the world’s leading vocal pedagogues, coaches and conductors.  The 2022 season sees James returning to Schloss Henfenfeld for performances in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.  After liederabends in Bayreuth and Nuremberg, he will perform the role of Leopold in Benatzsky’s operetta Im weißen Rößl followed by performances of Baculus in Lortzing’s opera Der Wildschütz at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg, where he is also currently completing a Master’s degree in Opera Singing under the tutelage of Professor Susanne Kelling.  James is a scholarship holder with the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now program beginning in 2022 with accompanist Dahyon Min.  In the 2021 season, James returned to Bayreuth for performances of Carl Orff’s rarely heard opera ‘Prometheus’ in the role of Okeanos.  Subsequent engagements included concert performances of Graf von Eberbach in Der Wildschütz and multiple collaborations with Ensemble Sarband under the direction of Vladimir Ivanoff and with the Polizeiorchester Bayern.  In the 2020 season, James was engaged as bass soloist for Bach’s Matthäus-Passion followed by role debuts as Marullo and Monterone in concert performances of Rigoletto at Schloss Henfenfeld in Germany under the baton of Denette Whitter. In August, 2020, James returned as Artist in Residence in Bayreuth, highlighted by an engagement from the Bayreuth Festspielhaus to perform excerpts from Wagner and Mozart in lieu of the cancelled Bayreuther Festspiele and a televised street performance of scenes from Wagner, Verdi and Mozart.   In the 2019 season, James returned to some of the largest opera houses across China for a five week season of Le nozze di Figaro covering the role of Il Conte di Almaviva. Directly following this tour, James was engaged for a range of concerts and performances across Germany, in locations including: Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Weimar, Nuremberg and Starnberg. In August 2019, James completed his first engagement with the Bayreuth Young Artist Festival and presented a versatile program highlighted by the Antonín Dvorák Biblische Lieder Song Cycle in the Stadtkirche von Bayreuth among various other operatic performances and concerts.  In the 2017-2018 Season, James completed his first twenty-three city tour of China in the role of Amonasro from Verdi’s Aida, he also portrayed Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with GBD Touring Grand Opera Melbourne, and Presto in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias with Lyric Opera.  Mr. Young’s 2016-2017 operatic season included a principal role in Copland’s rarely staged The Second Hurricane with Victorian Opera, and Masetto in Millennium Opera’s production of Don Giovanni.