CAREER HIGHLIGHT(S):
Lotfy’s first film, 12 O’CLOCK BOYS, for which he was awarded an HBO
Emerging Artist Award, screened in numerous festivals domestically and abroad, including SXSW,
Sundance LA, Lincoln Center NYC, Viennale, Hot Docs Toronto, London and Copenhagen in 2013, and
was ranked seventh in the BFI list of top 20 documentaries of 2013. The film also had a theatrical
release in North America and Europe and aired on Showtime.
TWELVE-MONTH HIGHLIGHT(S):
His drama film HARKA, which was inspired by Mohamed
Bouazizi’s self-immolation that sparked the Tunisian revolution and Arab Spring in 2010, premiered in
the 2022 edition of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, where Adam Bessa won the Best Performance Award.
HARKA went on to several awards and was nominated for two Lumière Awards in France.
What character do you identify with?
R. P McMurphy — the character played by Jack Nicholson in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST.
What’s the industry’s most troubling trend?
Fear of offending people.
2024 will be the year that MENA finally does what?
MENA has done plenty already!
What was your first job?
Grocery store clerk.
What’s your secret daily habit or guilty pleasure?
Gaming.
What’s the last great show or film you watched?
SCARECROW by Jerry Schatzberg.
What would have been your dream job if you didn’t end up doing what you’re doing?
Probably something in law.
