HISHAM FQIH
Writer, Director, Producer

Hisham Fqih is a multi-hyphen creative straddling both Western and Arab audiences. He started his career in 2011 as a clandestine stand-up comedian in Saudi Arabia's underground scene. His material slowly seeped into the mainstream, granting him the Head of Content position at Telfaz11, a multi-channel network with 24 million subscribers and more than two billion views. 

As a filmmaker, Fqih gained international acclaim for producing and starring in Saudi Arabia's submission for the 'Best Foreign Film' category at the 2017 Oscars, “Barakah Meets Barakah”. For his role, he was nominated for a Best Actor Award at the Arab Cinema Awards at Cannes and the film premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Netflix bought the distribution rights to the film, making it the first Saudi film to display on the streaming service.

Fqih served as the Director of the Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI) at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, a program launched in 2018 to support and mentor Arabic TV writers and producers. Fqih's leadership has helped boost the careers of many individuals in the industry. He has broadened his talents into working on television in the U.S. on the Golden Globe-winning show “Ramy” and Emmy-nominated animated comedy “Big Mouth”, while also starring and producing in some of Saudi's most successful film and TV projects.

Fqih is currently Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at a boutique production company, DH’BAB ضبّاب Productions, based out of the US and Saudi Arabia, bridging the two industries to focus on creating film and television projects in the genre space, ranging from comedy to horror, injecting a fresh take infused with an authentic sense of Arab culture.