Sharif Abdel Mawla: A Few Of My Favourite Things
The Dutch director takes us through his daily dose of inspiration, including a camera that doesn't work, a screenwriting book he doesn't hate and an artwork that was worth a hefty round-trip.
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A Dutch director with Egyptian roots, Sharif Abdel Mawla's agency background and short-film prowess (his second film Jetski in 2019 and was selected for the Talent en Route program of the Dutch Film Festival) exemplify an creative flair.
Repped by Partizan and Bonkers United, and currently writing his feature film, his work for Puma, Jobbird and The New Originals has brought him industry accolades.
We caught up with him to check out his home set-up at the moment, where he talks us through reminders of trips that inspired him and celebrates artists that fill his inspiration.
The Village
A couple of years ago I visited Iran.
I wanted to visit this country so badly because I had heard great stuff about it.
I stumbled upon this abandoned courtyard in a small quiet village called Yazd. I took a quick picture and forgot about the place until I developed the roll.
It has been hanging on my wall ever since, reminding me to take more pictures.
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The Screenwriting Book
I've read some books about screenwriting that I found somewhat pretentious and old fashioned.
One of the books I really liked was Save the Cat, by Blake Snyder.
It has a modern and pragmatic view on screenwriting and gives a refreshing structure on how to tell a story.
I occasionally flip through it when I’m stuck.
The Painting
This is the first painting I bought.
It’s by Jordy van den Nieuwendijk, a brilliant Dutch artist who had an expo in Germany some time ago.
I wanted to have it, really badly. I remember driving from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf, just to buy this painting.
I had to explain this to some people, but I just love its playful vibe.
The Camera
This is my busted Konica c35 which I shot a lot of pictures with.
It has a tricky manual focus, which makes it hard to predict if your pictures turn out sharp or not.
However, it still remains my favourite.
I use to take it along on trips and recces, before it passed away.
The Illustration
Stikstok is one of my favourite Illustrators.
I’m a big fan of his minimalistic drawing style.
Last week I finally framed his work and took a quick and dirty picture with my phone.
If you’re curious go check out his work.
The Insta-grab
Every now and then I clean up my desktop because my ocd demands it.
This picture however has been steady surviving in my top right corner.
I stole it from Tahoun’s Instagram and pinned it down.
It reminds me of home.
