FROM EQUAL VOICES TO FESPACO: MARWA ALI’S JOURNEY
After attending ICAPA Trust's Equal Voices Storytelling for the Screen Workshop, Egyptian filmmaker Marwa Ali receives a grant from a premier film industry event.
Egyptian filmmaker, Marwa Ali, who lives and creates in Alexandria, is an alumnus of the ICAPA Equal Voices Story and Script Development Workshop. She is celebrating a career milestone following the selection of her documentary film, TO DANIEL, for a post production grant at the 2025 Pan-African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO). Held biennially in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, FESPACO is the premier film and television event on the African continent.
Marwa's project, TO DANIEL, was selected out of 93 entries to participate at ICAPA Trust's Equal Voices Story and Script Development Workshop which took place in Lagos, 2023. The documentary follows the journey of a seventy-year-old man, who encouraged by Marwa herself, finally pursues his long-postponed dream of directing a film. It presents a story of hope, resilience, and the pursuit of passion. Marwa noted that although the idea first came to her four years ago, it was through the workshop that she gained the professional tools and mentorship she needed to bring her vision to life.
“The workshop was a life changer for me. Guidance from profoundly skilled script writers and feedback from colleagues shifted my storytelling perspective entirely,” she said, attributing the success of her project during its earlier stages to the learning model employed by the Equal Voices Workshop. The expert guidance and practical exercises gave her the tools to identify weak points in her script and strengthen them. Consequently, her script became an international standard piece that not only reflected her original vision, but also met the structural and narrative expectations of a global audience.
With her film entering post-production, Marwa is faced with the challenge of balancing her artistic vision with the practical realities of filmmaking. The post-production grant she secured is a huge step forward, but the costs are higher than the current funding can cover. “I am grateful for this award as it guarantees the possibility of the film’s post-production stage.” She further noted, however, that with the expenses involved in this stage, the grant is a great start, but she will keep applying for additional grants to ensure the film is delivered at an international standard.
Marwa is eager to take her film to international audiences when this happens, and looks forward to premiering it at a major film festival. She is confident that its universal themes of hope and perseverance will resonate with viewers across the globe. “I really believe this film can inspire people to follow their dreams no matter the obstacles, and I hope this film will help convey that message to the rest of the world,” she said. For Marwa, the goal goes beyond recognition as she wants her film to move hearts and motivate others to keep going, even when the path forward seems impossible.
TO DANIEL's recognition by FESPACO is just the beginning for Marwa, whose filmmaking journey has been shaped by years of learning, growth, and at last, a sense of validation
