Karim El-Shenawy is an award-winning documentary director, currently expanding his filmmaking career to directing fiction. In 2012, El-Shenawy finished his master studies in directing fiction at Goldsmiths, University of London. Before moving to London, he directed films for international satellite channels such as BBC and Aljazeera, as well as for international NGOs, private production houses, and state-owned media outlets. In 2007, he co-founded Radio Horytna, the first youth internet radio in Egypt. He is also a trainer in the field of filmmaking and open source media.

El-Shenawy’s main scope is social-oriented cinema, focusing on the themes of identity, tolerance, and diversity. His latest realised documentary Salafi (2012) was selected for numerous festivals. ODD (2013), El-Shenawy’s first short fiction, will be premiered at the BAFTA Awards (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) in 2013.