Ahd Kamel

Ahd Hassan Kamel (عهد حسن كامل) is an actress and filmmaker from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is known for her role in the BAFTA-nominated film, Wadjda (2014) and for her role as Fatima in BBC Two's Collateral (2018).

Education and early career
Kamel grew up in Saudi Arabia and moved to New York City in 1998. She received a BFA in Animation & Communication from Parsons School of Design in 2004 and a Directing degree from the New York Film Academy in 2005. Kamel then went on to study acting under the personal tutelage of William Esper at the William Esper Studio.

Kamel has written, directed and acted in her two award-winning short films, The Shoemaker ‘Al-Gondorji’ (2009) and Sanctity ‘Hurma’ (2012).

The themes of these films explore women issues in Saudi Arabia. As Hurma explores a widowed woman's attempts to save her unborn baby with limited means. The film was a selection of the Berlin International Film Festival.

As of 2022, Kamel will be shooting her feature film ‘My Driver & I’ which is a period film set in the 80s about a Saudi woman's relationship with her Sudanese driver. Kamel mentioned the film is based on her experience of living in Jeddah when women could not drive. The film will feature an Arab cast: Jordanian actress Saba Mubarak, Qusai (musician), Mostafa Shahata, and Baraa Alem (star of Shams Al-Ma'arif (film)). The film is funded by OSN, Red Sea Film Festival Foundation.

Filmography
CINEMA

TELEVISION

Awards and nominations

 * NOMINATED – Muhr Arab Award (The Shoemaker), Dubai International Film Festival, 2009
 * WINNER - GOLDEN ALEPH for Best Short (The Shoemaker), Beirut International Film Festival, 2010
 * WINNER – 2nd Prize, (The Shoemaker), Gulf Film Festival, Dubai, 2010
 * WINNER - JURY AWARD (The Shoemaker), Oran Film Festival, Oran, Algeria 2010
 * WINNER - Development Award (Sanctity) Doha Tribeca Film Festival, 2012
 * NOMINATED – Golden Bear for Best Short (Sanctity) Berlinale 2013
 * WINNER – 2nd Prize (Sanctity), Gulf Film Festival, Dubai, 2013

Festival selections
The Shoemaker
 * 2010 Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival /France
 * 2010 Brussels Short Film Festival
 * 2010 Women in Film/Canada
 * 2010 Festival Amal/Spain
 * 2010 Abu Dhabi International Film Festival
 * 2010 Arab Film Festival, San Francisco
 * 2010 Women in Film, Seattle
 * 2010 International Film Festival Bratislava/Slovak Republic
 * 2010 Ljubljana International Film Festival
 * 2010 Berlin Interfilm International Short Film Festival
 * 2010 Kettupäivät Short Film Festival, Helsinki
 * 2010 Karama Human Rights Film Festival, Amman

Sanctity
 * 2013 Sarajevo Film Festival Shorts Program
 * 2013 Berlinale Shorts Program