Founded by producer Shahinaz Elakkad in 2017, Lagoonie Film Production is an Egyptian company that aims to develop the film and TV industry in Egypt and the Arab world by making and distributing high-quality films and TV series that address fresh and original topics place Arab films and TV shows on the international map.
Lagoonie Film Production has supported a list of trailblazing films that went on to win numerous awards at festivals, including FEATHERS by Omar El Zohairy, which claimed the Grand Prize and the FIPRESCI Award at Cannes Film Festival, as well as a Special Mention.
The company also worked on AMIRA by Mohamed Diab, which won three awards at Venice; Palestinian film HUDA’S SALON by Hany Abu-Assad; Jordanian film THE ALLEYS by Bassel Ghandour, and short film SHOKA WE SEKINA starring Menna Shalaby, Eyad Nassar, and Asser Yassin.
These films were featured in several international festivals like Cannes, Carthage, Karlovy Vary, Toronto, Venice, Red Sea, and El-Gouna.
Furthermore, the company produced several commercially successful films like FARQ KHEBRA by Sherif Nagib, RAS EL SANA, and the family-comedy film A’AZ EL WELD.” Lagoonie also produced a number of remarkable TV series, including ANA SHAHIRA... ANA EL KHA’EN and NEMRA ETNEIN.
Lagoonie Film Production has been keen to support the Arab cinema industry by offering awards to film projects at international film festivals like Toronto, Venice, El-Gouna, and Cairo and managed to make these film projects available on global platforms. It also sponsored a number of workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions at several international film festivals.
Among Lagoonie’s productions is Amr Salama’s BARRA EL MANHAG starring Maged El-Kedwany and Ruby, which was commercially released in cinemas, gaining positive acclaim from both the audience and critics.
BARRA EL MANHAG held its world premiere at the first edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival. It also received seven awards in different categories at the Cairo Film Society’s Festival in its exceptional edition in 2022.
Based on a general poll of critics, filmmakers, and Cairo Film Society members, BARRA EL MANHAG was picked as one of the top seven films in 2021.
Additionally, Lagoonie’s feature film ALAM by Firas Khoury — which Lagoonie is distributing — was featured at the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival and the 44th Cairo International Film Festival, where it won three awards — Best Film, Best Actor, and the Audience awards.
Lagoonie’s successful productions also includes Mostafa Abu Seif’s SA'ET EGABA, which stars Selim Mostafa, Sawsan Badr, Ghada Adel, Sherif Salama, Ayten Amer, Naglaa Badr, Entsar, Eman Elsayed, Mohammed Tharwat, Badria Tolba, Phaedra, Firas Saeed, Mourad Makram, Ahmed Fathy, Ahmed Talaat, Lateefa Fahmy, and Magdy El-Bhery alongside the folk singer Omar Kamal.
In 2024, Lagoonie had a packed schedule with several successful projects, including INSHALLAH A BOY by Amjad Al-Rasheed, which joined the Final Cut in Venice Workshop that was held at the 79th Venice International Film Festival — where it won three awards — the La Biennale di Venezia Jury Prize, El-Gouna Film Festival’s Award, and Festival International de Films de Fribourg’s Award.
It also won the Atlas’ Grand Prize for post-production at the Marrakech International Film Festival and two awards from Cairo Film Connection.
INSHALLAH A BOY was highly praised by over 30 regional and international news outlets and screened at over 20 film festivals, winning 14 awards and eventually being selected to represent Jordan at the 96th Academy Awards.
Moreover, it co-produced A NOSE AND THREE EYES—a contemporary rendition of Ihsan Abdel-Quddous' novel, which was originally adapted into a film in 1972— and Hani Khalifa’s FLIGHT 404, featuring Mona Zaki, both of which garnered significant critical and public acclaim and has been selected to represent Egypt in the International Feature Film Category of the 97th Academy Awards.
Currently, Lagoonie is actively involved in the production of several upcoming films, including RIZK EL HEBL, MONKAR WI SHAFIK, 101, and NAGWA FROM THE FIFTH FLOOR.
Also, Lagoonie’s latest title, THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US!, has recently kicked off its festival tour with a premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, going on to win the Star for Best Arab Film at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, as well as the Silver Alexander Award at Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The production house is currently awaiting the release of Abu Bakr Shawky’s next feature film THE 67TH SUMMER on the world stage.
Shahinaz El Akkad is the CEO of Lagoonie Group and its subsidiary Lagoonie Film Production, which is a pioneer production house in Egypt and MENA. Through Lagoonie Film Production, Shahinaz managed to leave her mark on the scene by being the lady behind several widely acclaimed film and TV productions.
Helmed by El Akkad, Lagoonie Film Production produced a list of trailblazing films that won many film festival awards, including FEATHERS by Omar El-Zohairy, which reaped four global awards, including the Grand Prize and the FIPRESCI Award at the International Critics' Week of the Cannes International Film Festival, as well as a Special Mention; and AMIRA by Mohamed Diab, which won three awards, including the Lanterna Magica Award at the Venice International Film Festival.
The company also produced the Palestinian film HUDA'S SALON by Hany Abu Assad, which won a Special Jury Mention at the Beirut International Women Film Festival; the Jordanian film THE ALLEYS by Bassel Ghandour, which won the Grand Prix du Jury at the Festival du Premier Film d'Annonay; and the short film FORK AND KNIFE, which starred Menna Shalaby, Eyad Nassar, and Asser Yassin.
Several of the company's other films were selected at international festivals like Cannes, Carthage, Karlovy Vary, Toronto, Red Sea, and El Gouna.
Moreover, Shahinaz produced several commercially successful films like FARQ KHEBRA by Sherif Nagib, RAS EL SANA, BARRA EL MANHAG, and the family comedy film A’AZ EL WELD.
Besides films, Shahinaz also produced several remarkable TV series, including ANA SHAHIRA ... ANA ELKHA'EN and NEMRA ETNEIN.
In addition to her work in production, Shahinaz has been working to support the Arab cinema industry by offering awards to film projects at international film festivals like Toronto, Venice, El Gouna, and Cairo.
She also managed to make these film projects available on global platforms and sponsored a number of workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions at several international festivals.
Additionally, the Palestinian feature ALAM by Firas Khoury — which Lagoonie is distributing — was featured at the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival and the 44th Cairo International Film Festival, where it won three awards — the Golden Pyramid for Best Film, Best Actor, and the Youssef Cherif Rizkallah's Audience Award.
As for Lagoonie Production’s latest feature film, Amjad Al-Rasheed’s INSHALLAH A BOY, which has been selected to represent Jordan in the race for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and has won more than 25 international awards so far, including the Gan Foundation Award and the Rail D'Or for Best Feature Film — both bestowed upon it at the Cannes Film Festival, where it made history as the first Jordanian feature to participate in the festival’s Critics’ Week section — and two awards each from the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival and the Paysages de Cinéastes Festival, among many others.
El Akkad also worked on the comedy feature SA'ET EGABA in cooperation with Rise Studios, which released earlier in 2023.
As for her most recent work, El Akkad worked on the production for Amir Ramses’s A NOSE AND THREE EYES — which is an adaptation of Ihsan Abdel-Quddous's novel. The film world premiered at The Red Sea International Festival and was released to great commercial success in Egyptian cinemas.
Shahinaz also worked on Hani Khalifa’s FLIGHT 404. The film was an absolute commercial success, performing admirably in the Egyptian box office and topping Saudi Arabia’s ticket sales charts for two weeks, owing to its stellar cast — led by the exceptional Mona Zaki — and crew and provocative but ultimately human subject matter.
As for El-Akkad’s upcoming work, Shahinaz is waiting on the release of Ameer Fakher Eldin’s YUNAN, as well as Sarah Nouh’s upcoming comedy RIZK EL HEBL which stars Mona Zaki, and Morad Mostafa’s AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY ANYMORE — which was recently selected for Venice’s Final Cut program.
