Ahmed Mourad(I)

Ahmed Mourad, born in Cairo in 1978, is an Egyptian writer who first launched his career in the realm of cinema, studying Cinematography at the Higher Institute of Cinema, from which he graduated in 2001 with honors. His graduation projects "The Wanderers - The Three Cards - and On the Seventh Day" garnered awards for short films in festivals in England, France, and Ukraine. Ahmed began writing his first novel "Vertigo" in the winter of 2007, which was published in the same year by Merit Publishing House. It was later translated into English by Bloomsbury Publishing, then into Italian by Marsilio Editori, and was adapted into a TV series starring actress Hend Sabry, airing in 2012. In February 2010, Mourad released his second novel "Diamond Dust", which was also translated into Italian by Marsilio Editori, and into German by Lenos Verlag, Switzerland. The novel was turned into a feature film in 2018, starring Asser Yassin, Menna Shalaby, and Maged El Kidwani, with Mourad penning the screenplay and dialogue, and directed by Marwan Hamed. In October 2012, Mourad released his third novel "The Blue Elephant", achieving first place in book sales at the Cairo International Book Fair 2013, and sales estimated at one and a half million paperback copies within two years of its release, and also translated to German by Lenos Verlag, Switzerland. It was later adapted into a film featuring actor Karim Abdel Aziz, with screenplay and dialogue by Mourad, and directed by Marwan Hamed. The novel earned Mourad a spot on the shortlist for the Arabic Booker Prize in 2014 and was translated into German by Lenos Verlag, Switzerland. Mourad wrote a second part for 'The Blue Elephant' as a direct screenplay for cinema, the film being released in 2019. In 2014, Mourad released his fourth novel "1919", a historical piece set in the 1920s, which was adapted into a film starring Karim Abdel Aziz, Ahmed Ezz, and Hend Sabry, and directed by Marwan Hamed in 2022. In 2016, Mourad published his fifth novel "The Land of God", a story set in Ancient Egypt between the era of the 18th dynasty and the time of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, King of the Greeks in Alexandria. The novel was translated into English by Dar Al Shorouk. In 2017, Mourad released his sixth novel "Deer Hunting Season", a novel set in the year 2061, addressing the concept of returning to past lives, reincarnation, and it is a romantic fantasy novel. In 2020, Mourad published his seventh novel "Locanda Ber El Wataweet" Bat well Motel, a crime novel set in Cairo year 1865, The novel talks about a hero detective suffering from paranoid delusions. In 2022, Mourad released a book titled "Killing for Beginners", a guide to writing cinematic screenplays. In the fall of 2023, he released his eighth novel, "Abo El-Hol" Sphinx, the novel utilizes the same protagonist from the novel 'Locanda Bir Al-Watawit', the detective afflicted with paranoia, but in a new thrilling adventure set in the year 1869.

Novels: 1. Vertigo (2007) 2. Diamond Dust (2010) 3. The Blue Elephant (2012) 4. 1919 (2014) 5. The Land of God (2016) 6. Deer Hunting Season (2017) 7. Locanda Ber El Wataweet (2020) 8. Killing for Beginners (2021) 9. Sphinx (2023)

Films and TV Series: 1. Vertigo (TV Series, 2012) 2. The Blue Elephant (Film, Part I, 2014) 3. The Originals (Film, 2017) 4. Diamond Dust (Film, 2018) 5. The Blue Elephant (Film, Part II, 2019) 6. "Kira and the Gin" adapted from the novel 1919 (Film, 2021)

Awards: 1. "Mediterranean Culture Award" in 2013 for his debut novel "Vertigo" from Italy. 2. Shortlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize in 2014 for "The Blue Elephant" from UAE. 3. The "State Excellence" Award for his overall works in 2018. Ahmed Mourad began teaching screenwriting in Cairo in 2016. More than 300 students graduated under his tutelage before he began teaching writing in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Currently, Mourad hosts the program "Al-Tawleefa" on "Nogoum FM" radio in Cairo since 2019.