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Sondos Shabayek

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Berlin
Sondos Shabayek

Egyptian filmmaker, acting coach, Certified Intimacy coordinator and trained mental health coordinator

Cairo/Berlin

Recent Biography

Sondos Shabayek is an Egyptian filmmaker and acting coach based in Berlin. She has over 12 years of experience working with actors and non-actors, facilitating storytelling workshops, documenting personal narratives, and directing theatre performances of women and gender-based stories. Sondos was the recipient of the 2021 Voices that Matter scholarship – Women in Screen industri

es and last October completed her MA in directing at the Metfilm school in Berlin. ‘She said no’ is her most recent project; a short film about a cathartic moment between an Egyptian couple based in Berlin waiting in line to view a flat. At the moment, she is working on her first feature film ‘And me too’. The film is still in its’ development phase and recently took part in Torino film lab ‘Next feature film’ as well as Durban talents. In 2013 she wrote and directed award-winning ‘Girl’ a short film about harassment in Cairo, as part of the ‘Women in new Egypt’ project launched by Misr international film company, the British embassy in Egypt, and the British council. The short film portrayed a few minutes of the life of a young girl while walking through the streets of Cairo, exposing the brutalities of street harassment at the time. In 2019 she wrote the short film ‘The Night Before’, produced by Arabiska teatren in Sweden, and was also assistant director of the production. “The Night Before” is about a prebridal henna party (cultural equivalent to hen night), where the bride is on a secret and unorthodox quest to find more about what her first sex is going to be like. Prior to her work in film, she worked as the director of The BuSSy project; A performing arts project that documents gender based stories and presents them on stage. She has also worked as a freelance storytelling workshop facilitator in Egypt and abroad with different cultural and social entities. She developed over the years a methodology for creating safe space in workshops where participants can openly share intimate stories about sensitive topics and explore how to take those stories to the stage, and for the documentation of personal narratives and working with story-owners on how to take the stories to the stage. Her work in this kind of documentary/psychodramatic theatre has deepened her understanding of the actor’s process and inner world and allowed her to explore and experiment with individuals through a more human-centered approach that focuses the process on authenticity, fully dedicating the methodology and tools of the work, to the goal of bringing truthful representations of characters and stories to the stage and screen. The passion for authentic artistic expression continued to guide Sondos’s choices and artistic voice, as she shifted from the theatre to the film world. Inspired by the renowned director Mike Leigh’s method of character and story development, and building on her own experience of working in theatre, writing and directing testimonies and stories and developing stage performances with non actors, Sondos created her own world and technique of screenwriting where she recreates the story and rebuilds characters with her cast through improvisational workshops/guided improvisation. She believes that this technique allows the cast to be part of the process and brings to the film a strong sense of boldness and authenticity. Originally, she studied broadcasting journalism and worked in media for 5 years, with a focus on personal narratives and social issues. Sondos is passionate about exploring authentically telling stories of herself and other women and being part of a truthful and honest representation of the lives of women on screen.

25/08/2026

21/08/2026

IC— meaning intimacy coordinators — will be political, or will not be.

This sticker is still on my notebook when I work as an intimacy coordinator on sets.

It was printed by a courageous group of Spanish intimacy coordinators in 2023, at the International Conference for Intimacy Coordinators that took place in February in Berlin. They printed this sticker in response to the conference’s disappointing stance and its choice to silence people who spoke up about the genocide taking place in Palestine.

This sticker still provides me with so much strength and solidarity just looking at it. It reminds me that the courage of South Africa and Spain are still leading the way.

Even in a conference as small as that, the intimacy coordinators from Spain and South Africa were the bravest — the people with the clearest and most ethical compass when it came to situations where Germany or German institutions were trying to silence people.

What happened during that conference, before it and after, still breaks my heart.

It was one of those moments that made me realize that, as an Egyptian living in Berlin, I’m not just a minority artist. Part of my life will always consist of confrontations with deeply ingrained racist structures and beliefs.

It broke my heart, and to this day it constitutes one of the reasons why the idea of continuing to live in Berlin is no longer something I hold tightly to.

Thank you, comrades, for this moment, for the solidarity, for every brave word. It still continues to inspire me.

There are more people than I can tag, but they know themselves.

You continue to inspire me, and you continue to provide me with so much strength.

17/08/2026

**Arab Stories & Improvisations**
in collaboration with

A little collection of moments from an evening of acting, improvisation, laughter, and beautiful spontaneity with the members of **BADLAB: Berlin’s Arab Drama Lab**. ❤️

The evening began with **acting improvisations** by BADLAB members, responding to prompts about life in Berlin: cultural clashes, relationships, identity, belonging, neighborhood encounters, and all the humor hiding in ordinary moments.

This was followed by an evening of **live music improvisation**, led by **Amr Abdlwahab and Samer Asakleh**—both musicians and members of BADLAB. The music created another space for spontaneity, listening, and collaboration, bringing the evening to a beautiful close.

What made the evening special wasn't just what happened on stage, but the atmosphere around it: **listening, taking risks, supporting each other, laughing, and creating something together in the moment.**

Thank you to everyone who showed up, performed, watched, supported, and made this evening what it was. 🫶

And to the wonderful members of **BADLAB**—thank you for your courage, generosity, and willingness to play.

**Stay tuned for our next workshop and show in October!** ✨

15/08/2026

13/08/2026

A couple of years ago, I was approached by a young filmmaker, Yara, who asked if I'd collaborate with her to support the actors and choreograph the intimate scenes in her student film, Alya.

I remember being genuinely surprised—in the best possible way—by her level of awareness and her commitment to creating a safe, respectful process for everyone involved. Seeing that care and intention from an emerging filmmaker gave me so much hope for the future of our industry.

Working on Alya was a beautiful experience, and I'm especially proud to say that this was the first Arabic-speaking production I ever worked on as an Intimacy Coordinator. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

A huge congratulations to Yara, the incredible cast, and the entire crew on the film's premiere at the Amman International Film Festival. Wishing you all many more screenings and well-deserved success.

If you'd like to follow the film's journey, you can find them here: ✨

12/08/2026

Some moments from this weekend's Improv in the Wild workshop. ❤️

Three days of listening, taking risks, laughing until our stomachs hurt, getting things wrong, starting again, and discovering what becomes possible when we stop trying to be interesting and simply stay present with one another.

What stays with me after every workshop isn't the "good scenes." It's the moments of vulnerability, courage, connection, and unexpected joy that emerge when people feel safe enough to play, to fail, and to be fully seen.

These spaces continue to remind me why I do this work in Berlin. In a city where so many of us come from different places and carry different stories, creating spaces where we can meet through play, imagination, and truthful human connection feels more important than ever.

Thank you to everyone who trusted the process, showed up for each other, and made this weekend what it was. ❤️

See you at the next one.

11/08/2026

🌿 **FROM STRESS TO RELEASE**
**Somatic Tools for Artists & Humans**

🌿 **من التوتر للراحة**
**أدوات وممارسات جسدية للفنانين ولكل الناس**

📍 Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin
📅 Monday, 24 August
⏰ 6:00–8:30 PM
🌍 English & Arabic | بالعربي والإنجليزي

Sometimes we know exactly what we’re stressed about — we just don’t know what to do with the stress our body is holding.

Other times, we feel tense, restless, overwhelmed, shut down, or constantly on edge without really knowing why.

And even when the stressful moment is over, the body can remain caught in the response.

In this outdoor workshop, we’ll explore practical **somatic tools for recognizing and moving through our individual stress cycles**.

Through gentle movement, body awareness, grounding, and nervous-system-informed exercises, we’ll explore how stress shows up in our bodies and practice ways of responding to it with more awareness and choice.

The workshop is designed with **artists and creative practitioners** in mind, but is open to all humans. No previous experience with somatic practices is necessary.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/K6mfqQkhS66tv3zGA

كتير مننا بيلاقي نفسه عالق في دواير من التوتر والضغط. ساعات بنبقى عارفين بالضبط إحنا متوترين بسبب إيه، بس مش عارفين نعمل إيه عشان نساعد جسمنا يخرج من الحالة دي.

وساعات تانية بنحس بالتوتر، القلق، الاستنفار أو الانغلاق من غير ما نفهم بالضبط إيه السبب.
وحتى بعد ما الموقف المسبب للتوتر يعدّي، ممكن جسمنا يفضل محتفظ باستجابة التوتر.
في الورشة دي هنقضي ساعتين ونص مع بعض في تمبلهوفر فيلد، نجرب مجموعة من **الأدوات والممارسات الجسدية (Somatic Tools)** اللي تساعدنا نتعرف أكتر على دواير التوتر الخاصة بينا، ونلاحظ إزاي التوتر بيظهر في أجسامنا، وإيه اللي ممكن يساعدنا نتحرك من خلاله بدل ما نفضل عالقين فيه.

🌍 الورشة بالعربي والإنجليزي.

للتسجيل: https://forms.gle/K6mfqQkhS66tv3zGA

28/07/2026

Uta Hagen was teaching long before intimacy coordination existed as a formal practice. And yet, her instincts around care, ethics, and the actor’s process were already remarkably clear.

She spoke about the need to choreograph physical confrontations on stage — to know exactly what we’re doing when actors engage physically, rather than leaving it to impulse or chance.

Whether we’re working with intimacy or violence, physical contact requires clarity, preparation, and care.

Some practices may be new. The responsibility behind them isn’t.

27/07/2026

Adresse

Berlin

Webseite

https://linktr.ee/sondos.shabayek

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