Khoroog Amen (Safe Exit), the new feature by Egyptian director Mohamed Hammad, will premiere on 12 February 2026 in the Panorama section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, joining a notable slate of Arab works screening in Berlin this year.
The film stars Marwan Walid, alongside Noha Fouad and Hazem Essam, and is a co-production between Egypt, Qatar, Libya, Tunisia, and Germany. With international backing, the project lies within a broader trend of cross-border collaboration in Arab cinema, particularly for films aimed at major European festivals.
Panorama, the Berlinale section in which the film screens, is known for presenting socially engaged work with a strong focus on contemporary experience, making it a fitting venue for Hammad’s latest feature.
Classified as a psychological thriller, Khoroog Amen follows a young security guard living in Cairo who is suffering from post-traumatic stress after the killing of his father in a terrorist attack in Libya.
Rather than focusing on the incident itself, the film observes the longer-term effects of trauma on memory, behavior, and everyday life. The story unfolds through the routines of its central character, emphasizing the persistence of psychological distress and the ways it shapes personal relationships and work.
In statements released ahead of the festival, Hammad described the film as an attempt to examine how large political and social events leave lasting marks on individuals who are not directly involved in decision-making or conflict. The emphasis, he noted, is on the human dimension of such experiences rather than on commentary or explanation.
Similarly, Tunisian Producer Dora Bouchoucha Fourati has framed the film as part of a wider conversation about unresolved trauma in societies shaped by repeated cycles of violence, particularly where questions of religious identity are involved.
Egyptian producer Kholoud Saad pointed to the film’s engagement with human rights issues as a motivation for supporting the project, adding that the collaboration builds on previous work with the director.
The Berlin premiere comes alongside a broader Egyptian presence at the festival with several filmmakers and artists selected for the Berlinale Talents development program, including actor Mohamed Hatem, producer and screenwriter Sawsan Yusuf, producer Maram El Bedewy, composer Mina Samy, and filmmaker Yomna Khattab.
With its restrained approach and focus on personal humane experience, Khoroog Amen adds to a growing body of Arab films that address the long-term social and psychological consequences of violence through intimate, observational storytelling. Such films include Egyptian director Omar El Zohairy’s ‘Feathers,’ released in 2021, Taht alshajra (Under the Fig Trees, 2021), by French Tunisian director Erige Sehiri, and Le Bleu du Caftan (The Blue Caftan, 2022) by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani.
The film’s spot at the Berlin Film Festival shows growing international interest in how Arab cinema tells stories about memory, trauma, and everyday life through intimate, character-driven narratives.
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