East of Noon

Director's bio

Hala Elkoussy

Hala Elkoussy (Egypt, 1974) is a visual artist who works across a variety of media: photography, video, installation, sculpture. She has produced a number of short films that were screened in exhibitions and film festivals around the world among which the Istanbul Biennial, Tate Modern, Centre Georges Pompidou. Her artwork features in the collections of Tate Modern, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Jameel Collection among others. She obtained her BA from the American University in Cairo and her MA from Goldsmith College, University of London. In 2004, she co-founded Cairo Image Collective, the first space dedicated to the image in the Region. In 2006, she completed a two-year Residency at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. In 2010, she received the Abraaj Capital Prize. In 2014, she set up Fotomasr, an archive of photographs from Egypt from the 19th Century to the 1970s. Cactus Flower her first feature film participated at Fabrique Cinemas Du Monde and went on to premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam. It received Best Actress Award at the Dubai International Film Festival and Special Jury Award in Aswan International Women’s Film Festival. It is currently screening on Netflix. In 2020, Elkoussy chaired the board of De Appel Amsterdam. Her second feature film East of Noon is premiering in Directors’ Fortnight – Cannes.