Dreamscapes: A Masterclass with Onsi Abou Seif
- > Saturday, 25 April 2026 · 17:00 | SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA |
In films, spaces are never merely backdrops. They are agents in the plot with a pulse of their own; storytellers of a distinct art and language that carve out itineraries through which narratives unfold and meaning takes shape. If cinema, as Federico Fellini once said, is the language of dreams, scenery design is the sculpting of their architecture and landscapes.
In the history of Arab cinema, only a handful of names have achieved renown and distinction through masterfully crafted set designs, sceneries that speak, articulate thought and emotion, and give substance to dreams. Foremost among them stands the Egyptian visionary Onsi Abou Seif, whom, for its seventeenth edition, ALFILM proudly celebrates as Guest of Honour, paying tribute to his artistic brilliance and remarkable lifelong journey in cinema.
In this masterclass, Abou Seif will guide us through the arc of his cinematic career as a costume, set, and production designer. He will reflect on his collaborations with the giants of Egyptian cinema from the pioneering generation, including Shadi Abdel Salam (1930 – 1986), Youssef Chahine (1926 – 2008), and Tawfik Saleh (1926 -2013), and with leading directors of subsequent generations such as Daoud Abdel Sayed (1946 – 2025), Khairy Beshara, Yousry Nasrallah, Sherif Arafa, and Marwan Hamed. Across more than five decades, Abou Seif has shaped the visual worlds of films that are constantly remembered as milestones of Egyptian and Arab cinema.
This masterclass is open to everyone: filmmakers, film artists, scholars and historians of Arab cinema, as well as non-professionals with an interest in Arab cinema and the art of set and production design.
The masterclass will be held in Arabic with simultaneous English translation.
Curated and moderated by Iskandar Abdalla
In cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
