About
Sherif M. Awad is a film critic, curator, and festival programmer who has worked professionally since 1990. Over more than 35 years, he has programmed films for festivals in Egypt and Europe, covered the world's major film festivals for television and print, and written about cinema for magazines, TV programs, and his two websites, sherifawad-filmcritic.com and Meeting Venus.
A Life in Cinema Since 1990
Sherif M. Awad began his professional career in 1990 in Egypt, where he grew up watching the international and Italian genre films that would shape his lifelong passion. Over the following decades, he became one of the region's most experienced voices on world cinema, working as a critic, editor, curator, programmer, and television producer.
Festival Programming and Curation
As a film and video art curator, Sherif has curated and programmed films for prominent festivals in Cairo and Alexandria, and in several European countries, including Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Ireland. He was appointed by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture as general coordinator of the 25th Alexandria Biennale, one of the oldest art biennales in the Mediterranean region.
He has also reviewed and qualified submissions for international festivals through FilmFreeway, bringing an experienced programmer's eye to independent films from around the world.
Journalism, Editing and Television
Sherif has served as an editor for various film publications, including as Film and Art Editor of Egypt Today magazine. For television, he produced and wrote film and art programs broadcast across the Middle East, including the weekly film program Cinemascope on Dream TV.
As a reporter and critic, he has covered major international festivals including Berlin, Cannes, Rome, Taormina, Istanbul, Dubai, Oran, and Tribeca, interviewing filmmakers, actors, and industry figures for television and print.
Two Websites, One Passion
Sherifawad-filmcritic.com is his home for film criticism and cinema history: in-depth articles on directors, horror cinema, the Italian giallo, cult and exploitation films, and the connections between film, music, and culture.
Meeting Venus, which he founded in 2019, is dedicated to women in film and the arts. With more than 600 articles, it features interviews with actresses, artists, and creators from around the world, as well as in-depth profiles of the stars of classic European cinema, from the giallo and Italian comedy era to today's Hollywood.
He also conducts live interviews on YouTube with filmmakers, actresses, and artists.
A Critic's Perspective
Sherif's writing combines film history, cultural analysis, and more than three decades of first-hand viewing and festival experience. He is especially known for his work on Italian genre cinema, from the gialli of Mario Bava and Dario Argento to the films of Lucio Fulci, Joe D'Amato, and Tinto Brass, and on the actresses whose careers were shaped, and often limited, by that era.
As a critic, he values violence and sensuality on screen only when they serve the story. Having discovered horror as a young viewer in Cairo, he believes the genre's best films use shock with purpose, as the great Italian and American classics did, rather than for its own sake.
From Egypt to Ecuador
After decades based in Egypt, Sherif has lived in Ecuador since 2021, where he continues to write, curate, and connect filmmakers with festivals and audiences. He works in several languages, which allows him to follow and write about cinema from Europe, the Arab world, and the Americas.
Contact and Social Media
For interviews, festival programming, collaborations, or press inquiries, you can reach Sherif M. Awad through:
