We were lucky to catch up with Sherief Elkatsha recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sherief, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
I am a swimmer, and have been for my entire life. I began as a competitive swimmer in speedos, and quickly segued that into my daily life ritual…now in swim trunks.
Swimming is my therapy, my meditation, and my exercise.
Upon entering the pool, my brain is filled with daily frustrations, work stress, and life fatigue. As I begin to swim, I can feel the tension leaving my brain and body. After a mile of swimming laps, my mind is quiet and my body feels centered.
I was never good at team sports. With swimming I could be under the illusion of being on a team, while competing alone.
I am a freelance filmmaker who works on documentary films. For most of my career I have worked for myself, setting my own schedule and time management. Swimming has helped me immensely. It gives me structure, pushes my physical limits, and allows thoughts to pass through me. Often some of my best creative thoughts come to me in the pool.
My effectiveness is connected to my swimming, and if a day goes by when I can’t get to a pool, I am worse for it.
A friend once told me that in swimming, you use resistance to propel you forward. I think about that often, and has become a theme in my life and work.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Documentary filmmaker and producer, Sherief Elkatsha’s most recent film, Far From the Nile, is a feature-length film following 12 musicians from different countries along the Nile River basin, on their U.S. tour. The film premiered in November 2022 at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival, where it won “Best Non-Fiction Film.” In February 2023, Far From the Nile was also awarded the Silver Prize at the Luxor African Film Festival and received an “Exceptional Merit” Award at Docs Without Borders International Film Festival.
In 2013, Elkatsha premiered his third feature documentary, Cairo Drive, awarded “The Best Film from the Arab World”/Documentary Competition, at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2013. Other honors include the Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC 2014 and special mention at Open City Docs in London 2014.
In 2014, Elkatsha was commissioned by the EYE Film Institut Nederland to make a short film combining stock and his own footage, which resulted in Krokodillen. He was also the cinematographer for Cairo Garbage (2009), by Mikala Krogh, part of Ci>es on Speed.
Elkatsha co–directed Egypt: We are Watching You (2007), about pre-revolutionary politics in Egypt, through eyes of the acKvist group, Shayfeen.com, as part of the Why Democracy series.
His first feature documentary, BuJs Out (2004), which followed five smokers’ struggles to quit cigarettes, received the Best Documentary Award at the 2006 New England Film and Video Festival. The film was also an official selection at The Rhode Island International Film Festival, Rendez-Vous with Madness Film Festival, and the Hollywood DV Festival.
Elkatsha is currently in pre-production on his next feature length film.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three most important qualities are empathy, the ability to listen and be present, and sense of humor.
The best advice I can give is to unplug whenever possible – and try to be present when around others.
As for sense of humor…try to find the funny, even in situations where it’s not in the entirely apparent. Life can be challenging! Might as well have a few good laughs along the way.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always on the lookout for collaborations; two flames burn brighter than one. I enjoy bouncing ideas off other people, and being inspired and challenged by other’s ideas. In an ideal situation, collaborators help the momentum keep moving forward.
It’s hard to put into words what a ‘good collaboration’ (like a good relationship or friendship) is. It’s often more of a feeling, and the ability to bring out the best in our collaborators towards a common goal.
When working with my longtime editor, Pierre Haberer, I enjoy the fights and arguments we have in the editing room. “Try it” is one of his favorite phrases. We challenge each others ideas of any given scene or moment, and hopefully the film benefits for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sheriefelkatsha.com
- Instagram: sherief.elkatsha
- Facebook: Sherief Elkatsha
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sheriefKatsha
Image Credits
Ahmed Dream
Habi Girgis
Laila Yasser
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
