Experiencing Interruptions?

Big Day

It's Sherif's wedding day. He doesn't seem very enthusiastic
and everyone suspects he's hiding something. However,
when it becomes obvious that he does not love the bride, the event takes a different turn...

  • Ahmed Samir
    Director
  • Ahmed Samir
    Writer
  • Saad Hendawy
    Producer
    The Seventh Heaven, Paparazzi
  • Omar ElSruji
    Key Cast
    "Sherif"
  • Marwa El-Sawy
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Sameh Hagag
    Key Cast
    "Father"
  • Fadwa Tayeh
    Key Cast
    Arriving Late
  • Johannes Nagy
    Editor
  • Andre Matthias
    Music Composer
    Gaza Mon Amour
  • Amr Soliman
    Sound Mixing
    Paranormal (Netflix)
  • Attia Amin
    Colorist
    Messages from the Sea
  • Youssef Assaf
    Production Manager
  • Mahmoud Youssef
    Director of Photography
  • Doha Hamdy
    Assistant Director
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 5, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Egypt
  • Country of Filming:
    Egypt
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Zanzibar International Film Festival
    Zanzibar
    Tanzania, United Republic of
    June 20, 2022
    African Premiere
    "Best Short" Ousmane Sembene Award
  • Luxor African Film Festival
    Luxor
    Egypt
    February 21, 2023
    Egyptian Premiere
    Jury Award for Best Short
  • Festival cinémas d'Afrique 16th Edition
    Lausanne
    Switzerland
    August 21, 2022
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Bahrain Film Festival

    Bahrain
    October 18, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Utsav International Film Festival

    India
    December 15, 2022
    India Premiere
    Best Actor "Omar Sruji"
  • Zawya Shorts Film Festival
    Cairo
    Egypt
    May 4, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Manassat Film Festival
    Cairo
    Egypt
    May 25, 2023
    Best Editing
  • Blackbox Film Festival
    Abu Dhabi
    United Arab Emirates
    May 28, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Festival di Cinema Africano
    Verona
    Italy
    June 29, 2023
    Italian Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • I am a Film
    Distributor
    Country: Egypt
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Ahmed Samir

Ahmed Samir was Born on October 25, 1998. He was raised in Alexandria, Egypt. After graduating from the Jesuit Film School in 2020, he moved to Cairo to work in the film industry as a director/writer. In 2021, He started directing his first short film "Big Day".

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Director Statement

* Best Film Award at MedFest Egypt 2023
* Jury Special Mention at Verona African Film Festival 2023
* Jury Award at Luxor African Film Festival 2023
* Ousmane Sembene Award at Zanzibar International Film Festival 2022

One social issue that I always felt like writing about is forced marriage. How women undergo arranged or forced marriages has been a trending topic lately. However, it's way less common to think it could happen to a man. And this is the case with Sherif, the main character in the film. He's pressured to marry a woman that he doesn't love, simply to prove his masculinity to his parents and society.

Sherif's father wants him to believe that getting married would benefit him, he would finally prove his masculinity to society and no one would dare to judge him. It seems like a tradition that runs long in the family, where all men basically get married just to fit their role in society. The pressure increases as the wedding approach and Sherif finds himself in a situation where he has to marry a woman that he doesn't love only to prove his masculinity to the community. And it's because of this pressure that his wedding ends up being a fiasco and he makes the ultimate decision.

It is very rare nowadays in Egyptian cinema to show a man really crying or sobbing; crying is still regarded as a sign of weakness in many Middle Eastern societies. So, for the opening shot, I wanted the audience to observe a man standing alone, sobbing, without knowing anything about him yet, before later in the film fully embracing his loud cries.

Boys are still taught in schools not to cry because it is considered humiliating and I think it's time to change that, I felt the need to show this toxic masculinity in the film through his dad's speech.

I was also hoping to make a character that viewers can empathize with, a vulnerable man who exposes his fragility on his wedding day.