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\n\tAbu Bakr Shawky\u2019s drama \u201cThe Stories\u201d \u2014 which is inspired by how the director\u2019s Egyptian father and Austrian mother began their love affair as pen pals \u2014 has been selected as Egypt<\/a>\u2018s entry for the Academy Award for best international feature film.<\/p>\n \n\tWhen Shawky\u2019s father Ahmed was an aspiring pianist in Cairo in 1967, he became pen-pals with a young Austrian woman named Liz, who is Shawky\u2019s mother. The film spans from the late \u201960s to the \u201980s, and depicts life in his native country during that period from the cross-cultural prism that has formed his vision as an artist.<\/p>\n \n\tShawky made an international splash with his first feature, \u201cYomeddine,\u201d which had the rare distinction of making the competition cut for Cannes in 2018. He followed up with Saudi-set travel movie \u201cHajjan,\u201d which premiered at Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Festival in 2023.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe Stories,\u201d which is written and directed by Shawky, is toplined by British-Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry (\u201cThe Crown\u201d), Austria\u2019s Valerie Pachner (\u201cFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore\u201d) and Egyptian star Nelly Karim (\u201cVoy! Voy! Voy!\u201d). The film is produced by Julie Viez, Mohamed Hefzy, Alexander Glehr, Johanna Scherz, Shahinaz El Akkad and Ahmed Badawy. The production companies involved are Cinenovo, Film Clinic, Lagoonie Film Production, Film Square, Shofha Productions, Film AG, Fox in the Snow and Wrong Men.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe Stories\u201d world premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2025, went on to win the Golden Tanit for best film at the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia and also played at the Red Sea fest last December.<\/p>\n \n\tThe shortlist for the 2027 Oscar nominations will be announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Dec. 15, with the final selection revealed on Jan. 21. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 14 in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n