Executive Creative Team
View our Filmmaker Statement here
Samah Sabawi- Scriptwriter and Executive Producer
Dr Samah Sabawi is the founder and Executive Producer of Hakawatieh Productions. She is an award-winning Palestinian Australian Canadian Writer/Producer who moves fluidly across genres.
Her most recent book Cactus Pear for My Beloved: A Gaza family story , was shortlisted for six major literary awards, including the prestigious 2025 Stella Prize; it was also commended by the Victoria Premier’s. Sabawi’s plays Tales of a City by the Sea and Them won multiple awards, were staged to critical acclaim in theatres across Australia, Canada, and the Middle East, and continue to be widely studied and celebrated.
More About Samah on her website here.
Mahmoud Ghalwa- Director and Associate Producer
Mahmoud Abu Ghalwa is a filmmaker and creative director with over 15 years of professional experience in documentary, fiction, animation, and music video production. He has collaborated with international media organizations, including Al Jazeera, and previously served as Production Manager at UNRWA TV. He currently works as Head of Video Production at Misbar, a platform dedicated to factchecking and combating misinformation, as well as Doha+, where he oversees the development of analytical and explanatory visual content. Mahmoud directed the short film Paper Boat, which screened in 12 countries worldwide, and wrote the screenplay for Nuseirat: The Hostage Massacre (Al Jazeera 360’s most watched film in 2025), which received the Best War Film Screenplay Award at the Five Continents International Film Festival. He also works as an independent filmmaker and producer, developing cinematic projects for international audiences.
Amer Hlehel- Director and Screenplay Writer
Amer is best known for his works in Theater and Cinema, including the international production of the play “TAHA”, which won the Best Production- Asian arts award- Edinburgh, and he was nominated for the best theater actor in the Helpman awards in Australian. He appeared in numerous productions, including as Caliban in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-on-Avon; as Abu Altayib in “Goats” at The Royal Court Theatre, London; as Yusuf in “I am Yusuf and This is My Brother” by Amir Nizar Zuabi at the Young Vic (London). Hlehel’s film work includes films: The Silver lion (Venice festival 2025) winner and Golden Globes, Bafta and the Oscars nominated “The Voice Of Hind Rajab” the Golden Globe award-winning “Paradise Now”, the best script winner at Cannes festival -un certain regard category- “Mediterranean Fever” 2022, “Tel Aviv On Fire”, “Personal Affairs”, “The Idol”, “The Time that Remains”, “Amreeka” and more.
Nahed Elrayes- Music Composer
Nahed Elrayes is a Palestinian composer and writer. He is recognized in Arab America’s 30 Under 30, the Margaret Schofield Composition Prize, the Kanafani Arts Prize, and Meanjin’s “Essays that Changed Australia (1940 to Today)”. While the Development Manager of UNRWA USA, Nahed produced Gaza to the World in 2023 - the first fully-streamed concert from his native Gaza. Nahed is now based between NYC and Melbourne where he co-founded Laymoon Arts, a collective dedicated to advancing Arab arts and culture in Australia.
Rahaf Fasheh- Associate Producer
Rahaf Fasheh is a Palestinian theatre director, educator, and producer based in Tkoronto, placing integrity, community, and play at the core of her work. Rahaf holds a BSA from UofT specializing in Theatre and minoring in Psychology, and has training in Directing and Producing in various companies across the Greater Toronto Area. Most recently, she was honored to be the recipient of an OAC Career Development grant where she was able to assistant direct FEAST at Tarragon Theatre, and After the Trojan Women in Edmonton (2025). As an educator, Rahaf has taught improvisation, directing, ensemble work, text-analysis, and devised theatre to all ages at various companies. Currently she is independently co-directing and Associate producing for a new play-in development Rubble V2, as well as remotely Associate producing for a short animation film “All We Have” with Hakawatieh Productions based in Australia.
Full Film Credits
Directed By Mahmoud Ghalwa | Amer Hlehel
Executive Producer Samah Sabawi
Written By Samah Sabawi
Screenplay Writer Amer Hlehel
Editing By Mahmoud Abu Ghalwa
Associate Producers Rahaf Fasheh | Mahmoud Ghalwa
Original Music and Score by Nahed Elrayes
All Instruments Performed by Nahed Elrayes
Voice Actors:
Hakawatieh- Reem Talhami
Salem- Saleh Bakri
Dalya- Shaden Kanboura
End Credits song - “Ya Talaeen” Sung by Rahaf Shamaly
Art Director Mohamed El-Bialy
Animation Production Studio Film Kham - Nutshell
Executive Line Producers Obada Baghdad | Islam Abdelmonem
VOX Editing Rodwan Mahmalji
Creative Director Mahmoud Ghalwa
Head of Production Noha Beltagi
Background Lead Fouda El Saye
Animation Lead Kareem Moheeb
Compositing Lead Mohamed Sofian
Compositing Supervision Mohamed Elbialy
Layout Lead Abdullah Moatasm Mohamed El-Bialy
Senior Layout Zeyad Haddad
Character Design
Mohamed El-Bialy
Abdullah Moatasm
Diaa Salah
Background Layout Lead Hussein Hegazy
Music Consultation Meena Shamaly
Voice Recording Studio Maroun Bee M.B. Studio
Sound Design Mahmoud Abu Ghalwa
Sound Effects Recording Lina Hawash
Mixing by Mahmoud Abu Ghalwa
Storyboard:
Storyboard & Animatics Mahmoud Nagaty
General Supervision Abdulrahman AlKilany
Artistic Supervision Ahmad Shurbaji, Otbah AlKilany
Coordination Majd AlAsali
Illustrators
Fatima Jaroud
Reham Ali
Yomna Ahmed
Lama Khalifa
Toqa Barakat
Animation Crew:
Animation Production Lead Mazen Madkour
Animation Production Assistant Dina El-Sabbagh
Compositing
Tony Nageh
Abdullah Taher
Mina Nagy
Mohamed Maaty
Background Layout
Yousra Shedded
Nada Elsheikh
Howida Bakeir
Mostafa Elnaeb
Yasser Magdey
Alaa Ahmed
Ammar Sanad
Background Coloring
Fouda El Sayed
Sara Ragaiy
Mohamed Mamdouh
Howida Bakeir
Mostafa Elnaeb
Motion Comics Mohamed Nabil
Trailer Character Layout Weam al najaar
Trailer Background Layout Youssef Osama
Typography Salma Abobakr
2D Motion Graphic Abdullah Taher
Character Layout
Zeyad El-Hadad
Sara Mostafa
Reham Salah
Mahmoud Shalaby
Ahmed Hafez
Abdallah Osama
Doaa Shalaby
Tamara Ibrahim
Senior Animators
Ahmed Tayseer
Amgad Abdel-Mohsen
Karim Moheb
Key Animators
Rofida Ahmed
Omnya Ibrahim
Karim Rashad
Maram Nassar
Maha Mohamed
Alli Hany
Seif Elqabbani
Shaimaa Abdelghafar
Aml Elmadny
Karim Essam
Ebraam Raoof
Hamza ElHusseini
Mohamed Hammad
Amany Taha
Farida Khalil
Hagar Basiony
Habiba Shakweer
iCleanUp
Raghad Mohamed
Nada Abdelhameed
Nada Abo Elfadl
Maram Nassar
Shaimaa Abdelghafar
Omnya Ibrahim
Rofida Ahmed
Ameira Elkabbany
Amal Elmadny
Aya Youssef
Rana Mahmoud
Amany Taha
Aya Adel
Cutout Animation
Ahmed El Saied
Marwa El Said
Haya Hassan
Development Voice Actors
Samia Jaheen
Salma Haddad
In Loving Memory of
Mazen Madkour
Special Thanks
Monir ElRayes
With Thanks to:
Faris ElRayes
Natalie Fasheh
Omar ElSafin
Ontario Arts Council