Amr Gamal

Amr Gamal is a film and theatre director from Aden, Yemen. In 2005, he founded the Khaleej Aden Theatre Troupe, reviving commercial theatre after a decade-long post-war hiatus. His debut feature, “10 Days Before the Wedding” (2018), was Yemen’s first commercial film in 40 years and its official Oscar submission. His second film, “The Burdened” (2023), became the first Yemeni film selected for the Berlinale, winning the Amnesty International Award and the Jury Award at the AIFF; it also represented Yemen at the 2024 Oscars. It won the Gamal’s work focuses on social realism and preserving Yemen’s cultural memory. Despite ongoing challenges, he continues to create theatre and cinema, often staging performances at neglected historical sites to prompt their restoration. Most recently, he led the reopening of a historic cinema in Aden—the first to resume operation in Yemen in decades.