Sameh Alaa studied German literature at Cairo University. Before moving to Europe, he worked as an assistant director in advertising and feature films. In 2016, he completed his masters of arts in filmmaking at EICAR film school in Paris. His first short film Fifteen premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 and won several awards around the world. In 2019, he made his first advertisement campaign as a writer and director. His last short film I am Afraid to Forget Your Face (2020) is the first Egyptian film in the last 50 years to be selected for the Official Short Film Competition at Cannes Film Festival. He is currently developing his third short film and his debut feature film.