El Sawy, Al Jasmi, L'Abidine share journey from acting to writing

Multiple lives: Artistic and human

Renowned Egyptian actor Khaled El Sawy opened the session by describing writing as a natural extension of his artistic and human experience. He said, “I have written poetry in both classical and colloquial Arabic, I have written for the theater and novels, and I have composed songs. Writing is an extension of me. It is my greatest means of freedom and discovery. I am not content with just one Khaled; I want to live in multiple personas, to experience different thoughts and feelings. Writing gives me this breadth.”

El Sawy emphasised that a true writer writes honestly about themselves while keeping the reader in mind. “In poetry and short stories, I am 75% present, and the reader is 25%. In film, writing is more collaborative, 60% for me and 40% for the audience. In theater, it is divided equally: half for me and half for the people.”

He also highlighted the responsibility of artists and writers to shape collective consciousness. While defending creative freedom, El Sawy noted that the total absence of censorship could lead to chaos, advocating instead for rational oversight by knowledgeable intellectuals.

A journey in search of artistic truth

Emirati artist Ahmed Al Jasmi shared his journey balancing acting, writing, and production. He explained that transitioning from actor to writer is a natural extension of an artist’s need to fully express their vision. “The writer writes, and the actor tries to interpret the story truthfully for the audience. Sometimes, an actor feels a deficiency in the characters he portrays, and this drives him to compensate for this deficiency through writing,” Al Jasmi said.

Al Jasmi described writing as an internal dialogue between the creative forces within each artist rather than a substitute for acting. As a producer, he stressed the importance of balancing respect for the writer’s vision with his own artistic direction. “I discuss every detail with the writer. I don’t agree with every change they suggest, but I engage in dialogue; either they convince me, or I convince them.”

He also underlined that authentic art is not a luxury but a reflection of reality. “I believe that genuine, authentic art generates significant profits, and the new generation is discerning and insightful, criticising me more critically than traditional art critics,” he added.

Storytelling as life

Tunisian star Dhafer L’Abidine shared insights from his creative journey across acting, writing, and directing, viewing storytelling as a way to discover oneself and others. “I’ve always had a passion to tell stories from my own perspective. A story can be told in different ways depending on who is telling it,” he said.

Writing, he explained, offered a deeper form of self-expression, allowing him to shift focus from portraying a character to constructing entire worlds with all their complexities. Dhafer added that writing has profoundly shaped his personal growth: “Writing allowed me to develop myself as a person. It taught me to be more human. Acting did the same; it helped me discover myself. Before acting, I was very shy, and perhaps if I hadn’t entered the field, I wouldn’t have overcome that shyness.”