Thirteen Women Creatives Complete Second Phase of ‘Because She Created’ Writing Program in Egypt

This week, thirteen women completed the second phase of Netflix’s ‘Because She Created’ writing program in Egypt. The eight-week program, built on the success of the Because She Created Creative Writing Program in partnership with Sard, includes exceptional talent from the initial cohort. 

Throughout the course of the program, the women had the opportunity to work on the short stories they initiated in the first phase, turning them into screenplays, with guidance from Mariam Naoum and the Sard team. At the end of the program, the women pitched their screenplays to industry experts including Mariam Naoum, Dr. Karim Shenawy and Mohamed Hefzy.

Mariam Naoum, CEO & Founder of Sard said, “We are incredibly proud of the partnership with Netflix on the ‘Because She Created’ program, which has offered several aspiring women creatives the opportunity to discover and hone their talent in writing and storytelling. We’ve  spent the last many months learning, relearning, and finessing the stories into screenplays, with the ambition to craft them into short films. This is an invaluable experience, one that serves as a catalyst, fosters skill development, prioritizes authentic storytelling, and offers growth opportunities to underrepresented voices in the film industry.”

Across eight weeks, the women learned more about the art of choosing a story, treatment, characters, structure, plot, scenes, and dialogue, followed by a hands-on writers room experience and dedicated pitching sessions, creating opportunities for their future growth. Netflix has been working with industry partners to build the talent pipeline in the region & empower Arab storytellers with the tools they need to tell stories that can be loved globally. It has also been committed to amplifying the voices of Arab women filmmakers through its ‘Because She Created’ initiatives.

Ahmed Sharkawi, Director, Arabic Content, Netflix said: “The Because She Created Writing Program is an important program for us in the region, as we continue to forefront more underrepresented voices. We want to be a good partner for the region’s creative industries and this program was initiated to introduce storytelling as a viable career option for the next generation of Egyptian women. By providing talent with a chance at a professional writing career, we hope to inspire people to break through in the industry and create a network of women who can support each other well after the program.”

In September 2022, 22 aspiring women creatives from Al Said in Upper Egypt, completed the first phase of the program, and two participants from the cohort were selected to join the Sard writing lab to work on special projects helmed by the SARD team. 

This program is part of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity which aims to help create new opportunities for underrepresented communities within the entertainment industry.

Find out more about Netflix’s Because She Created Initiatives here.