The Stories

Plot

The Stories is a decades-spanning Egyptian family saga and love story set between the late 1960s and 1980s. The film follows Ahmed, a young man from a Middle-Class Cairo family who dreams of becoming a concert pianist. During the tense summer of 1967, as war looms over Egypt, he begins a pen-pal correspondence with an Austrian woman named Elizabeth (“Liz”). A semi-autobiographical film based on the director's parents and how they met.

About The Stories

The Stories (Egyptian Arabic: القِصَص) is a 2025 Egyptian drama film written and directed by Abu Bakr Shawky, and loosely based on the Shawky’s parents. A co-production of Egypt, France, Austria, Belgium, and Sweden, it follows interconnected episodes tracing relationship between an Egyptian man and an Austrian woman, unfolding across different periods of their lives against shifting historical and political backdrops. It stars Amir El-Masry, Nelly Karim, and Valerie Pachner, among others. The film had its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in November 2025. It went on to win the Golden Tanit for Best Film at the Carthage Film Festival and also screened at festivals including the Red Sea International Film Festival. It later screened at the Cabourg Film Festival in June 2026, before receiving theatrical releases in Egypt on 16 June 2026. It was also selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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