Throughout his illustrious journey on the global stage, Mostafa El Kashef, a renowned cinematographer and producer, has lent his creative prowess to over a dozen cinematic works that have garnered international acclaim.

His most notable achievement to date is The Village Next to Paradise, the first-ever Somali feature film to be selected at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. The film received a standing ovation at its packed premiere and was widely praised by international critics for its poetic and visually arresting cinematography. El Kashef’s work on the film earned him the Best Cinematography Award at the 35th Carthage Film Festival, Best Kamera at the Österreichischer Filmpreis 2025, and Best Cinematography at the Festival of Austrian Film – Diagonale. He was also nominated for Best Cinematography at the Austrian Film Academy Awards 2025. In recognition of his growing international stature, El Kashef was recently inducted as a member of the Österreichische Filmakademie, the Austrian Film Academy—an honor that further cemented his standing as one of the most influential cinematographers of his generation.

Earlier in his career, El Kashef made a powerful debut with 19B, which earned him the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 2022 Cairo International Film Festival and the Golden Jubilee Award at the 50th Cairo Film Society Festival.