SIGN THE PETITION IN SUPPORT OF OMAR SALAH MAREI'S IMMEDIATE RELEASE & MEDICAL CARE

The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) calls upon film workers, organizations, institutions and individuals around the world to express their support for our colleague Omar Salah Marei, an Egyptian filmmaker and screenwriter forcibly held in pretrial detention since 11 May 2026, and denied access to the medical care he urgently needs.

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On 11 May 2026, Omar was taken from his home in Cairo by plainclothes security officers without a warrant. During the raid, they seized his laptops, phones, and the scripts for his future projects. He was held incommunicado for six days before being brought before Egypt's Supreme State Security Prosecution. His detention has since been extended twice, the most recent extension of 15 days following a hearing on 25 May. He remains cut off from his lawyer and his family.

The charge against him is "deliberately spreading false news," based on his social media commentary. This is a profoundly questionable charge, widely recognised as a tool of silencing and intimidation, and one that does not, under any circumstances, justify extended detention, deprivation of legal counsel and family contact, or denial of necessary medical care.

Omar has a thyroid disorder requiring daily medication that must not be interrupted, and is still recovering from major wrist surgery he underwent three months before his arrest. There is no indication that he is receiving any medical care.

We stand with Omar and with every filmmaker's right to create and to speak freely.

>> Read more about Omar's case on the ICFR website here.

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WE, THE UNDERSIGNED:

call upon the Egyptian authorities to immediately drop all charges against filmmaker Omar Salah Marei,

and most urgently, to grant him access to proper medical care and humane treatment during his detention, as required by Egypt's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Egypt has ratified, and under the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

Signed by:*

ORGANIZATIONS

• International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) and its co-founding institutions: 
  
  • International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
  • International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)
  • European Film Academy (EFA)
• Société des Réalisateurs de Films (SRF) - Directors’ Guild of France
• Documentary Association of Europe (DAE)
• Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA)
• Austrian Director’s Guild
• German Film Academy
• Freemuse
• Altyazı Fasikül
• Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF)
• Visions du Réel - film festival
• Movies That Matter - film festival
• One World Romania - festival & association
• FIFDH - International Film Festival & Forum on Human Rights Geneva
• Human International Documentary Film Festival Oslo
• Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara)
• FreedomFilmFest, Malaysia
• International Film Festival for Human Rights Colombia (FICDEH)
• WATCH DOCS International Film Festival, Poland
• Addis International Film Festival (AIFF), Ethiopia
• BATURU Women’s Film Festival, China/Thailand
• Human Rights Film Center, Nepal
• Naples Human Rights Film Festival, Italy
• Bergen International Film Festival, Norway
• Inconvenient Films Festival, Lithuania
• Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Hungary

INDIVIDUALS

• Emma Thompson - actor/screenwriter
• Alberto Barbera - director, Venice Film Festival
• Jean-Pierre Dardenne - filmmaker
• Catherine Breillat - filmmaker
• Jean-Michel Frodon - film critic/professor
• Joslyn Barnes - film producer/writer
• Walter Salles - filmmaker
• Mia Hansen-Løve - filmmaker
• Ossama Mohammed - filmmaker
• Mohsen Makhmalbaf - filmmaker
• Luc Dardenne - filmmaker
• Laura Poitras - filmmaker
• Aki Kaurismäki - filmmaker
• Verena Paravel - filmmaker
• Corneliu Porumboiu - filmmaker
• Basma Mostafa - human rights defender
• Karim Abdelrady - human rights lawyer
• Diana El Jeiroudi - filmmaker 
• Orwa Nyrabia - filmmaker
• Vanja Kaludjercic - director, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)
• Isabel Arrate - director, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
• Kirsten Johnson - filmmaker/cinematographer
• Pedro Costa - filmmaker
• Agnieszka Holland - filmmaker
• Christoph Terhechte - festival director
• Ada Solomon - producer
• Anand Patwardhan - filmmaker
• Ina Finchman - producer
• Nicolas Philibert - filmmaker
• Mike Downey, OBE - producer
• Akram Zaatari - filmmaker
• Arnaud des Pallières - filmmaker
• Avi Mograbi - filmmaker
• Nashen Moodley - director, Sydney Film Festival
• Dominic Willsdon - International Documentary Association (IDA)
• Sylvain George - filmmaker
• Thomas Lacoste - filmmaker
• Mark Cousins - filmmaker
• Avital Barak - filmmaker
• Joseph Paris - filmmaker
• Alexandru Solomon - filmmaker
• John Gianvito - filmmaker
• Marc Isaacs - filmmaker
• Maurizio Braucci - filmmaker
• Isaki Lacuesta - filmmaker
• Adam Shapiro - activist
• Ala Eddine Slim - filmmaker
• Farahnaz Sharifi - filmmaker
• Khalid Abdalla - actor/activist
• Selin Murat - director, IDFA Bertha Fund
• Alex Gibney - filmmaker
• Serge Lalou - producer
• Kamen Kalev - filmmaker
• Pegah Ahangarani - filmmaker/actor
• Fırat Yücel - filmmaker
• Jordi Wijnalda - filmmaker/human rights worker
• Denis Gheerbrant - filmmaker
• Mohammad Rasoulof - filmmaker 
• Adoor Gopalakrishnan - filmmaker
• Marjan Safinia - filmmaker
• Ali Kazimi - filmmaker
• John Greyson - filmmaker
• PJ Raval - filmmaker
• Julie Nederkoorn - festival programmer
• Mariana Oliva - producer
• Jeanie Finlay - filmmaker
• Markus Nornes - film professor
• Anne Rethfeld - cultural producer, Documentary Association of Europe
• Ketil Magnussen - director, Human International Documentary Film Festival Oslo
• Pirjo Honkasalo - filmmaker
• Grace Lee - filmmaker
• Kellen Quinn - producer
• Niels Pagh Andersen - editor
• Laura Nix - filmmaker
• Susana de Sousa Dias - filmmaker
• Bob Moore - producer
• Vladimir Paskaljevic - filmmaker/film professor 
• Ryan Harrington - film producer/executive
• Margje de Koning - director, Movies That Matter
• Catherine Gund - director/producer
• Andrea Kuhn - director, Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival, Germany
• Diana Arias - director, International Film Festival for Human Rights Colombia (FICDEH)
• Toni Ulled Nadal - Goya Awards/Academia del Cine Español, Spain
• Samir Jamal Aldin - filmmaker/producer
• Volia Chajkouskaya - producer/director
• Jean-François Fontanel - director
• David Barker - editor/screenwriter/director
• Elhum Shakerifar - producer/curator
• Mikki Noroila - visual artist/filmmaker
• Elvira Geppert - producer
• Veton Nurkollari - director, DokuFest
• Sevara Pan - film critic
• Ola Moskal
• Truls Lie - film critic
• Sophie Schreurs - filmmaker/artist
• Jasminka Beganovic - film festival worker
• Daniel Larios  - filmmaker
• Ahmed Sarhan
• Abdelwahab Shawky - filmmaker
• Mina Keshavarz - filmmaker
• Rajesh Thind - filmmaker
• Amir Ramses - filmmaker
• Zahra Mani - filmmaker
• Marjolein Polder -  film festival worker
• Doni Georgiev
• Ricardo Diaz Iacoponi - filmmaker
• Natalia Mikhaylova - filmmaker
• Ghada Shahbender - writer/actor
• Joshka Wessels - filmmaker/scholar
• Tanveer Hossain - producer
• Hazem Al Hamwi - filmmaker
• Wael Kadlo - filmmaker
• Fredrik Gertten - filmmaker
• Noaman Gergis - filmmaker 
• Tahani Elasmar
• Hassan Saleh
• Tina Bastaijan - filmmaker/video artist
• Chris Walter
• Omar Wakeel
• Asmaa Naiem - human rights lawyer
• Juan Venegas - writer
• Anil Shekhaliya 
• Peter Joseph
• Dakxin Chhara - filmmaker/playwright
• Marta Sousa Ribeiro - director/producer
• Mira Staleva - director, Sofia International Film Festival
• Onno Moret
• Dalila Leirfall
• Mohamed Khaled
• Ahmed Alaa Abulwafa - filmmaker/cinematographer
• Cécilia Guillaume 
• Rob Beauprez 
• Ahmed Badr 
• Elena Manrique Pascual - film programmer/producer
• Catrina Johnson
• Amber Mylemans
• Aaron Davril
• Florent Coulon - producer
• Nadia Kamel - filmmaker/writer/producer
• Azza Shaaban - director/producer
• Corian Chevalier - director
• Mohammad Hussain 
• Bas Bonhof - production designer
• Leire Payo 
• Hamed Yaghoubie 
• Zein El Abdeen - poet
• Lena Pertry
• Michelle Verhoeven - designer
• Anke Brouwers - film professor/programmer
• Victoria Chernukha - producer
• Sarah Galal
• Mariam Mo
  
• Humberto Mancilla Pukañawi - director, Festival Internacional de Cine de los DDHH de Sucre, Bolivia
• Pierre Lagrou
• Chioma Ogadi
• Omar Dakrony - editor
• Manal Khaled - filmmaker
• Feel Tuymans - film worker
• Pascal Vandelanoitte - film scholar
• Ilayda Polat - filmmaker
• Simon Derca
• Lotte Bevernage - filmmaker
• Skyler Joy - filmmaker
• Ziggi Gysens - filmmaker
• Ana Van Laethem - filmmaker
• Nadim Suleiman - assistant director/actor
• Cheara van Vorstenbosch - filmmaker
• Robbrecht Desmet - filmmaker/film scholar
• Emil Davtian - filmmaker
• Liesbeth De Ceulaer - filmmaker
• Liesbet Huysentruyt
• Mathias Coroi - filmmaker
• Amanuel Bahta - filmmaker
• Hasfian Hasyim - producer
• Jacky Zoë Ter Horst - filmmaker
• Mary Ann Devlieg - cultural consultant
• Günther Zechberger - composer
• Farahnaz Safa - actress
• Jeff Seelbach - documentary producer
• Ugo Giargeri
• Kenza Dushes
• Diego Rojas Romero - documentary filmmaker
• Elodie Saget - film scholar
• Samia Ben Lahcen
• Marian Masone - film programmer
• Viggo Beyen - filmmaker
• Lynn Vasey
• Michael Truscello - film scholar/writer
• Jolien Bebzbeeb
• Martine Dekker
• Andreas Hannes - choreographer
• Fatma Zaki - academic
• Sam Menopa
• Mahienour El-Massry - human rights lawyer
• Jenn Ming
• Séverine Cornamusaz - co-president, Swiss Film Academy
• Laia Aubia - director, Catalan Film Academy
• Anna Machukh - executive director, Ukrainian Film Academy; managing director, Odesa Int'l Film Festival
• Nada Nashat - human rights activist
• Dariusz Jablonski - chairman, Polish Film Academy
• Piera Detassis - president, Italian Cinema Academy
• Paula Trancoso - producer
• Yann Tonnar - chair, Federation of Film Academies Europe (FACE)
• Melissa Fontesse
• Malik Watelet
• Andrew Gnyot - filmmaker/activist
• Joke Daniëls - film worker
• Sarra Maali
• Katarina Krnacova - president, Slovak Film & Television Academy
• Seppe Monbaliu - sound designer
• Elham Eidarous - writer/scholar
• Suraya Bhatti
• Mehrdad Beyadegar
• Elke Van Damme - filmmaker/film professor
• Mehdi El Ballata - filmmaker
• Danique Wijnalda
• Ahmad Bakr
• Cristina Kotz Cornejo - filmmaker
• Sadrolin Tam - documentary filmmaker
• Hadi Sheibani - editor/filmmaker
• Aline Mockel
• Gary Marlowe - musician/composer
• Jan Grygoriew - art director
• Abdalla Isman Mohammed
• Abdullahi Warsame
• Farah Ilmi
• I. Robles
• Zoé Manfredini - academic
• Matz Neyt - filmmaker
• Sally Meysman
• Bard Yden - programmer/director, Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival
• Anja Van Peteghem - editor
• Pjer Žalica - filmmaker
• Sigrid Helleday - producer
• Nandor Bollen
• Emma Jensen - academic
• Licia Eminenti - screenwriter/director
• Athanasia Biniadaki - performer
• Jarno Fragapane - filmmaker
• Jan Gassman - filmmaker
• Lilia Hartmann Trapani - casting director
• Radu Stancu - producer
• Sabine Böbbis - costume designer
• Pino Pellegrino - casting director
• Stefania De Santis - casting director
• Boris Petkovic - filmmaker
• Mieke De Jong - screenwriter
• Daša Zidar - scholar
• Monica Hellström - producer
• Christoph Krauss - cinematographer
• Sandra Brendl - editor
• Gregory Camps
• Ulla Simonen - producer
• Gabriella Bentivegna - casting director
• Heidi Kruppa - scholar
• Farah Alk
• Alexander Dermonden - filmmaker
• Constantin Lücke - actor
• Charbel Riff - musician
• Hubert-Geoffrey I. Muzongo
• Kent Jones - filmmaker
• Marinos Kartikkis - filmmaker
• Péter Lukács - musician
• Fien Troch - filmmaker
• Carles Pulido - actor
• Athena Wayne
• Alexander Aerts
• Andrej Cicu
• Hakan Ocak
• Arthur Vandeputte - filmmaker
• Helle le Fevre - cinematographer
• Ayman Said Elmedhoun - lawyer
• Taha Malik
• Sophie Cornwell
• Martine Lemaitre
• Salam Sanjar
• Martine De Messemaeker
• Giovanni Galavotti - screenwriter
• Andy Menga
• Anita Schepmans
• Robert Shepherd - actor
• Florine Baelden
• Chandalis Kith
• Astrid Schäfer - producer
• Borko Hadjievski
•  

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*this list will be manually updated twice daily, thanks for your patience!