Director in the Middle East.
Youssef Kamal Akef. Creative Director and Film Director based in Dubai, working across the Middle East. Twelve years directing cultural events, government ceremonies, brand films, and AI-directed content across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
Two Guinness World Records in one 2024 season. UAE Golden Visa, Creative Category. Arabic and English native-level.
Countries worked in.
United Arab Emirates
Primary base. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, RAK.
Saudi Arabia
Qiddiya, Riyadh, Jeddah. Six Flags Qiddiya opening with Alicia Keys.
Egypt
Cairo. Film direction, advertising, cultural events.
Available across MENA.
Beyond the core three, available for creative direction and film direction projects across the wider region: Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco.
Shooting internationally. Delivering on local time. Fluent in the cultural protocols each country carries, because twelve years in MENA means you've learned them the hard way.
What makes a MENA director different.
A brief from a GCC government is not the same as a brief from a D2C startup in Cairo. A Saudi brand launch is not the same as a UAE cultural institution. A ceremony at the Louvre Abu Dhabi is not the same as a festival in Al Ain.
Directing in the Middle East means holding all of those on the same slate without flattening their differences into one "Arab" aesthetic. That's the job.
I've spent twelve years learning the specific gravity of each market. That's the unfair advantage MENA-based directors have over flown-in international directors. And it's what most clients are actually paying for.
Work across the region.
For creative direction, film direction, or event direction anywhere in the Middle East.
youssefkamal@icloud.com