The Sewing Needle

In a room steeped in silence, a middle-aged man attempts to thread a small needle to mend a tear in his trousers—but the thread he pulls brings with it strands of memory, loneliness, and buried pain.
The Sewing Needle is a short film that explores the human struggle with physical decline and the weight of memory, through a simple everyday moment that reveals the fragility of the soul and the complexity of the inner self.

  • Tamer Kotb
    Director
  • Tamer Kotb
    Writer
  • Arab Film & TV School
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    إبرة الخياطة
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 19 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 6, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Egypt
  • Country of Filming:
    Saudi Arabia
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital – 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Arab Film & TV School
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Tamer Kotb

He studied physics and chemistry at the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, but his passion for art and cinema has accompanied him throughout his professional life. He worked as an arts journalist for over 25 years and headed the arts section in two independent newspapers.
Despite holding administrative and educational positions, he never gave up on his passion. He began by organizing acting workshops for children as a hobby, before pursuing formal studies in filmmaking at the Arab School for Cinema and Television.
The Sewing Needle is his first official film and graduation project, which he single-handedly created—handling acting, cinematography, editing, and sound—as a personal challenge and creative experiment.
He is drawn to psychological and philosophical cinema, and aspires to make films that speak to his own experiences and resonate with audiences emotionally, while also expanding his work in acting training

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Director Statement

What drove me to make this film wasn’t just the story — it was the experience itself. I wanted to test my ability to create an entire film on my own: acting, cinematography, editing, sound… and everything in between.
The story is inspired by a short text by the renowned Egyptian writer Ibrahim Aslan, but the emotion, the details, and the way it’s told here came straight from my heart.
The Sewing Needle is not just about a lonely man trying to thread a needle — it’s about every moment of stillness I’ve faced, and every silent struggle that no one ever heard.