Ever the Renaissance man, Ahmed Magdy is not someone who rests on his laurels. The prolific Egyptian-Algerian actor, director, and producer recently lent his A-lists acting chops to the hotly anticipated show ‘Sarab’ (Mirage). As an adaptation of the Australian hit TV show, Seven Types of Ambiguity, viewers can expect a mystery told from the shifting perspectives of multiple different narrators.
Magdy talks to Esquire about film, and what drew him in to the project…
ESQUIRE: Tell us about ‘Mirage’, and how it differs from the original?
Ahmed Magdy: While the overarching narrative is the same, the social dynamics of the show and the storyline are much more relatable for an Arab audience. Structurally, Mirage has more episodes (10) than the Australian version (7).
ESQ: With the way the story is told via different narrators, it’s being liken to a Rashomon-esque series. Do you agree with that reference? Are you a fan of Akira Kurosawa?
AM: I’m excited you asked this, because I’ve never been asked about Kurosawa before. When I was 16 or 17, I started watching his films. I’ve seen most of them and Rashomon, in particular, was groundbreaking. The narrative style feels timeless, and it reflects on social and political aspects through a contemporary lens. And I really love how this approach was used in the original Seven Types of Ambiguity series, and think we captured it well in Mirage.
ESQ: So, as a film buff, what are your favourite films?
AM: There are many films I enjoy, but a few stand out that I’ll never get tired of watching Javier Bardem in Biutiful (2010), and anything from a trio of French directors Leos Carax, Louis Malle, and Louis Garrel. There are so many more films and filmmakers I admire, but in European cinema especially, there is such a deep appreciation for the great artists that came before. That’s what I love to see.
ESQ: Switching back to the region, Egyptian film and TV continues to be such a juggernaut of entertainment in the Middle East. What is it that makes the country so creative?
AM: I think it has a lot to do with history. With cinema, for example, Egypt has been making films for more than 100 year – dating back to the early 1900s. When you have that kind of foundation behind you, it is easier to build on it. You can always find a reference—a previous generation that added something new to the field—and this has been happening for centuries, not just in cinema, but in art and music etc. It’s not really surprising that Egypt continues to have such a major role in those industries today.
ESQ: You also run your own production company. Tell us about ‘Garage Art Production’?
It is my passion project, something I’ve dreamed of since I started making films around the age of 19. Since then, I’ve been part of the first few generations of independent filmmakers in Egypt, making short films and documentaries and participating in some of the country’s first digital feature films between 2005 and 2008 when independent Egyptian cinema was growing rapidly. I started it back in 2014 while shooting my first feature film The Giraffe. Since then, Garage has continued to contribute to the production of some more arthouse and independent films.
‘Sarab’ (Mirage) will be available soon on TOD.tv
