The Faculty of Pharmacy at Galala University witnessed a remarkable fusion of academic excellence and artistic creativity during the Biotechnology Film Festival 2025, held on Sunday, 28 December 2025. The event marked a unique educational experience that showcased innovative approaches to scientific communication and student-centered learning.
Held under the patronage of Prof. Dr. Mohamed El Shinawi, President of Galala University, the festival reflected the university’s commitment to adopting non-traditional educational models that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and real-world engagement beyond the classroom.
The festival was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Amira Abdel Motaal, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, and was founded and supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mariam Hassan Haikal. Under her visionary leadership, fourth-year pharmacy students successfully transformed complex biotechnological concepts into engaging cinematic narratives, demonstrating that science can be both informative and emotionally impactful.
The festival showcased five original short films, fully produced by student teams. Films such as Cell of Hope and Project Helix, alongside the award-winning productions, tackled advanced topics including gene editing, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, and biotechnologically produced drugs. Through storytelling and visual creativity, students succeeded in simplifying intricate medical mechanisms for a wider audience while maintaining scientific accuracy.
The event enjoyed record-breaking engagement, beginning with a formal red carpet reception that set an energetic tone. Audience interaction reached unprecedented levels, with 281 attendees participating in live digital voting, highlighting strong engagement from students, faculty members, and guests.
Following careful evaluation by the judging panel and audience votes, several films were recognized for excellence. The Diabetes Project won the Audience Choice Award, capturing the majority of the live votes and earning particular praise for featuring rising actor Adam Wahdan, whose performance added emotional depth to the scientific narrative. The Best Scientific Accuracy Award was presented to Laila: The Girl Who Beat the Bubble for its precise and clear explanation of immunological concepts and gene therapy. Meanwhile, One Vitamin… Many Stories! received the Best Cinematography Award in recognition of its strong visual composition, creative direction, and high production quality.
Behind the scenes, the success of the festival was driven by the exceptional efforts of the student organizing teams, who managed all aspects of the event, including red carpet logistics, media coverage, and technical operations. Their performance demonstrated strong leadership, teamwork, and crisis management skills, further reflecting the holistic development of Galala University students.
Commenting on the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mariam Hassan Haikal emphasized the festival’s broader educational value, noting that it aims to empower future pharmacists to become effective scientific communicators. She highlighted that translating complex scientific data into accessible and impactful storytelling is a key competency for modern healthcare professionals.
The festival concluded with an awards ceremony honoring the winning teams and the “Elsokar Bara” initiative guests, cementing the Biotechnology Film Festival as one of the most distinctive academic events of the year at Galala University.
