Historic Win for NYFA Alum at Tribeca Film Festival: Mohamed Diab and Sarah Goher’s Happy Birthday Sweeps Three Awards
New York, NY, July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New York Film Academy (NYFA) proudly celebrates a historic milestone as the film, Happy Birthday, co-written and produced by NYFA alum and board member Mohamed Diab and his wife, director and co-writer, Sarah Goher, became the first Egyptian film to win three major awards at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.
Set in modern-day Cairo, Happy Birthday tells the poignant story of Toha, an 8-year-old maid who dreams of celebrating her birthday for the first time by throwing the perfect party for someone else. The film explores themes of childhood, friendship, and socio-economic disparity, offering a fresh and heartfelt narrative that deeply resonated with international audiences.
The 2025 Tribeca Film Festival awards for the film Happy Birthday include:
- Best International Feature
- Best International Script
- Best Female Director
Students from NYFA were given the incredible opportunity to attend a screening of Happy Birthday at the Tribeca Film Festival led by the Senior Director of the NYFA Film Festival Department, Crickett Rumley. Following the screening, Diab generously took time to engage with NYFA students in an impromptu sidewalk Q&A session, offering candid insight into his creative process and journey through the international film landscape. His time and generosity to share his knowledge exemplifies NYFA’s commitment to mentorship and the cultivation of emerging voices in film.
“It was a thrill to take current NYFA students to see the work of my esteemed alum premiere at Tribeca, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world!” said Crickett Rumley, Senior Director, NYFA Film Festival Department. “Mohamed [Diab] said he’d be happy to speak to students after the screening, and he more than delivered—we had a ‘flash mob film school’ on the corner of 19th and Broadway for almost an hour! What a way for him to pay it forward to the next generation of NYFA filmmakers.”
Mohamed Diab, best known internationally for directing episodes of Marvel’s Moon Knight, continues to break barriers for Arab filmmakers. His and Goher’s collaborative success at Tribeca marks a defining moment for Egyptian cinema on the global stage.
NYFA celebrates this extraordinary achievement and the profound impact of alumni like Diab, and filmmakers like Goher, who continue to inspire the next generation of storytellers.
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About NYFA
New York Film Academy (NYFA) is a world-renowned film, media, and performing arts college that offers BFA and MFA degrees, short-term workshops, 1-and-2 year programs, certificates, online classes, and Summer Camps for teens and kids. NYFA has campuses in New York, Los Angeles, and Florence, Italy, and runs workshops across the globe. Known for its immersive hands-on learning approach, NYFA students gain practical, real-world experience alongside industry-professional faculty in Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Screenwriting, Cinematography, Producing, Game Design, Musical Theatre, Photography, and more.
Learn more at nyfa.edu
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Melissa Horvath New York Film Academy (212) 674-4300 pr@nyfa.edu
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