Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky's drama "The Stories" has been selected as Egypt's official entry for the Academy Award for best international feature film at the 2027 Oscars. The film is a personal project inspired by the director's own parents—his Egyptian father Ahmed, an aspiring pianist in Cairo in 1967, and his Austrian mother Liz—who fell in love as pen pals. Shawky is an established filmmaker whose debut feature "Yomeddine" competed at Cannes in 2018, lending credibility to Egypt's submission in an increasingly competitive international category.

The film spans the late 1960s to the 1980s and depicts Egyptian life through a cross-cultural perspective shaped by Shawky's background. "The Stories" stars British-Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry ("The Crown"), Austrian actress Valerie Pachner ("Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore"), and Egyptian star Nelly Karim. The film has already achieved festival success, winning the Golden Tanit for best film at Tunisia's Carthage Film Festival following its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2025. The Oscar nomination shortlist will be announced on 15 December, with the final selection on 21 January, ahead of the 99th Academy Awards ceremony on 14 March in Los Angeles.