Some people tell stories. Others seem to collect them.
Sitting down with Amir El-Masry feels a little like opening a well-thumbed book; every conversation leads somewhere unexpected, but never feels forced. Curious and quietly self-assured, he speaks with the kind of ease that comes from being genuinely interested in the world around him.
There is no sense of performance to El-Masry off-screen. Instead, what strikes you is a sense of openness. A willingness to learn, listen and immerse himself completely in whatever comes next.
Perhaps that’s why The Stories, in cinemas June 17, felt like such a natural fit.
TAPPING INTO THE ORDINARY
Directed by Abu Bakr Shawky, the film moves between Egypt and Austria, tracing the life of a family across decades. Profound cultural moments sit alongside everyday experiences, creating a portrait of Egypt that feels both deeply personal and unmistakably communal. Historical milestones are present, but they never dominate the narrative.
Instead, they unfold through the lives of ordinary people. Witnessed through family dinners, first loves, disappointments, and football matches.
At its centre is Ahmed, played by El-Masry, a young Cairene with dreams of becoming a concert pianist. As he navigates adulthood, family and the shifting realities of life around him, the story unfolds through his correspondence with an Austrian pen pal, creating an intimate thread that connects two countries, cultures and perspectives across time.
The result is a story that reminds us that history is rarely experienced as a headline. More often, it arrives through the people closest to us.
STEPPING INTO AHMED’S WORLD
For El-Masry, joining the project was never a difficult decision.
Having admired Shawky’s work for years, the actor recalls being sold on the film before he’d even read the script. When the director first outlined the story during a conversation while El-Masry was filming Vigil in Glasgow, he was immediately intrigued. Reading the script only confirmed that instinct.
“It was tragic, funny and relatable,” he says. “I just knew it was going to be something special.”
That conviction was followed by months of preparation. Shortly after wrapping Giant, El-Masry returned to Cairo and immersed himself in piano lessons, training for two hours a day under the guidance of conservatory professor Dr Omnia Ezz Eldin.
The experience left him with more than technical proficiency. It sparked a genuine appreciation for classical music and became another example of the meticulous preparation that has come to define his work.
“I wanted to get as close as possible to the real thing,” he explains.
That attention to detail extended beyond the piano. The film spans two decades, requiring El-Masry to consider not only his character’s emotional journey but the subtle physical shifts that come with time. Working with a movement coach, he explored how Ahmed’s posture, mannerisms and presence might evolve across the years.
The changes, he notes, were intentionally understated.
“It’s something the audience will blink and miss,” he says. “But it’s something that makes me feel more secure as an actor.”
THE FAMILY AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL
While The Stories travels across countries and eras, its emotional core remains remarkably intimate.
Ahmed spends much of the film searching for something, or perhaps “escaping from it,” El-Masry says. As Egypt changes around him, he grapples with responsibility, family and the choices that ultimately shape a life.
Yet what lingers long after the credits roll isn’t a single plot point. It’s the feeling of familiarity.
The film captures something many Egyptians will recognise: the way family stories are passed down through generations.
The family’s story is never presented as Egypt’s story. Instead, the two run alongside one another. Love unfolds alongside political change. Personal disappointments coexist with national triumphs. Football matches become markers of time.
LONG AFTER THE CREDITS ROLL
For El-Masry, that emotional connection has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the film’s reception.
Even before its wider release, viewers have reached out to tell him how deeply they recognised themselves in Ahmed.
Some saw their own marriages reflected in the story. Others recognised family members. Many simply connected with the warmth of watching people remain together through decades of change.
“I think people leave with a deep sense of warmth,” he says.
It’s a warmth that feels increasingly rare. The film’s family isn’t perfect. “They squabble over the most menial things and occasionally drive each other mad,” El-Masry reflects. Yet they “remain bound together by something larger than any individual disagreement,” he continues.
That sense of continuity becomes one of the film’s greatest strengths. A reminder that while history may shape our lives, it is often our relationships that define them.
Throughout the film, major events are filtered through the human experience. Humour softens heartbreak. Everyday moments sit comfortably beside profound ones. The audience is invited to recognise themselves not through spectacle, but through familiarity. By the end, you feel less like a spectator and more like a distant relative who has been invited to pull up a chair.
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Much like the film itself, El-Masry’s own life exists between places.
Having spent most of his life in the United Kingdom before dividing his time between London and Cairo following the pandemic, he understands the complexities of navigating multiple identities. Yet he speaks about it with surprising clarity.
Rather than feeling caught between two worlds, he prefers to focus on what each has taught him.
That perspective has shaped his approach to choosing projects. Despite building a career that spans both local and international productions, El-Masry rejects the idea that success only exists elsewhere.
“We have this thing called Oqdet El Khawaga,” he says, referring to the assumption that opportunities are inherently better abroad.
For him, The Stories stands as proof of the opposite.
“It is probably one of the best projects I’ve ever done.” What matters most, he argues, is the story itself. The origin of the production becomes secondary when the narrative is strong enough.
“If story is your number one priority, everything else falls into place.”
It’s a philosophy that feels increasingly relevant as Egyptian cinema continues to gain international recognition. The Stories may move between continents, but its heart remains unmistakably Egyptian – tender, specific and deeply personal.
For El-Masry, it is also a reminder that some of the most meaningful stories are often the ones closest to home.
STILL CHASING THE NEXT STORY
For all of El-Masry’s achievements, there is little sense of arrival.
Ask what has remained constant throughout his career and his answer comes quickly. “My impatience,” he laughs.
Not impatience for success, but impatience to create meaningful work.
Years after Limbo earned international acclaim and brought him to major film festivals and awards ceremonies, he remains convinced that there is no final destination in this profession.
“You don’t just make it in this field,” he says. “You keep going.”
It’s a mindset that has become increasingly important with experience. Where younger versions of himself might have been frustrated by perceived shortcuts or opportunities afforded to others, he now approaches the industry with a greater sense of perspective.
“No one owes you anything,” he reflects. “You’ve still got to show up every day.”
There is a quiet humility in the way he speaks about success. Not as something guaranteed, but as something earned repeatedly through consistency, curiosity and a willingness to keep learning.
Perhaps that’s what has changed most since the beginning of his career. Not the ambition itself, but the understanding that growth never really ends.
AT THE HELM
That philosophy extends into his next chapter.
Recently, El-Masry launched Helm World, a production company he co-founded with longtime friend Alannah Olivia. Named as a play on both being “at the helm” and the Arabic word helm, meaning dream, the company aims to champion stories that feel personal, meaningful and culturally resonant.
Its focus is simple: tell stories that matter.
Stories in English. Stories in Arabic. Stories that reflect lived experiences rather than assumptions.
“We’re intentionally working with filmmakers who have followed a similar route to us,” he says.
In many ways, it feels like a natural continuation of everything that drew him to The Stories in the first place.
Because whether he is stepping into a character’s shoes or helping bring a project to life behind the scenes, El-Masry remains interested in the same thing he has always been interested in: the people at the centre of it all.
And if The Stories proves anything, it’s that those are often the narratives worth telling.
You can watch The Stories in Cinemas starting June 17 2026.
