‘The Stories’ Director Abu Bakr Shawky Says His Film, Inspired by How His Egyptian Dad and Austrian Mother Started off as Pen Pals, Is About “Worlds Meeting”

Egyptian-Austrian filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky (Yommedine, Hajjan) is back. After debuting movies at Cannes and Toronto, he world premiered his latest, The Stories, at the 29th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in Estonia on Sunday.

Given the reputation he has developed with his past works, including 2018’s Yommedine being Egypt’s international Oscar submission, the writer-director’s new movie drew a big crowd, which used every second of a Q&a following the premiere screening to hear more about how The Stories came to be.

Shawky and his creative team cinematically imagine the story of his parents – his father grew up in Egypt, his mother in Austria – and stories of their families, friends and acquaintances, starting with how the mother and first came into contact as international pen pals.

The Stories tells five stories, leaving time gaps in between, that mix archival footage of political speeches,…