KEMET: YEAR ONE SETS GLOBAL THEATRICAL RELEASE FOR JUNE 11, 2026 - THE FIRST CINEMATIC PORTRAYAL OF PREHISTORIC EGYPT

Egyptian-Language Epic Set in 9186 BC Arrives in Theaters Worldwide, With Original Soundtrack Already Streaming Globally

CAIRO, EGYPT - April 11, 2026 - Desert Eagle Films and BUC Studios today announced the global theatrical release date of June 11, 2026 for Kemet: Year One, the first large-scale feature film ever made depicting life in prehistoric Egypt. The film, set in 9186 BC - thousands of years before the rise of pharaohs, pyramids, or written language - will open across hundreds of screens in the Middle East and United Kingdom, with international distribution negotiations underway for North America, Europe, and Asia. MENA theatrical distribution is handled by Empire Entertainment.

Written, directed, produced by, and starring Egyptian-American filmmaker Mo Ismail, Kemet: Year One is the inaugural production under a historic five-year, ten-film co-production alliance between Desert Eagle Films and BUC Studios, the commercial production arm of Badr University in Cairo - the first partnership of its kind between an independent film studio and a university in the Middle East and North Africa.

A STORY 12,000 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Kemet: Year One follows Khar - a man of primal strength and fierce paternal love - whose world is torn apart when he is separated from his son Tari by the unforgiving forces of the prehistoric Nile Valley. In a world governed by instinct, tribal law, and survival, Khar must navigate treacherous terrain, hostile tribes, and a ruthless antagonist to find his son. Aided by Omari, a powerful Nubian warrior, and driven by the memory of the mother who holds their family together, Khar's journey becomes the spark that ignites the earliest seeds of unity, leadership, and civilization along the banks of the Nile.

The film was shot entirely on location across Aswan, Kom Ombo, the Western Desert, and Lake Nasser - with no green screens, no studio stages, and no digital fabrication of the world. Three full-scale prehistoric villages were constructed from scratch using clay, stone, and timber, employing hundreds of Egyptian craftsmen and artisans under the supervision of archaeologists and academics from Badr University.

RECORDS AND DISTINCTIONS

Kemet: Year One arrives with a series of documented production milestones:

First cinematic portrayal of prehistoric Egypt - set in 9186 BC, predating all known dynastic civilization by several millennia

Longest single-take sequence in Egyptian and Middle Eastern cinema - a continuous four-minute take executed entirely on location

Principal photography completed in under 21 days - among the fastest completions of a large-scale independent epic in regional cinema history

First university co-production of a theatrically released Egyptian feature - the Desert Eagle Films and BUC Studios partnership represents a new model for academic-industry filmmaking collaboration in the MENA region

CAST AND CREW

The film stars Mo Ismail as Khar, Ahmed El Tohamy as the central antagonist, Moda Ahmed as Tari, Dida Morgan as Omari, and Ressam Salama as the Mother. The screenplay was written by Mo Ismail, Tamal Mallick, and Doaa El Sherif. Cinematography is by Ahmed Lebleb, editing by Rakesh C, and production design by Meme Wahba. Action direction is by Najmeddin Scorpion. Casting was led by Marwa Gabriel.

AN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALREADY STREAMING WORLDWIDE

The Kemet: Year One Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - composed by Marwan Haroun and produced by Mo Ismail - is available now on all major global streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. The score was built from hundreds of researched ancient instruments and archival sources, reconstructing a prehistoric sonic identity that has never been attempted in Egyptian cinema. A dedicated public soundtrack launch is scheduled closer to the June 11 theatrical release.

STATEMENT FROM MO ISMAIL, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER

"Every civilization that ever rose from this earth began with a sound. A drum. A voice carried across open land. A rhythm that told people - we are here, we are alive, we are one. Kemet: Year One goes back to that moment. Before the dynasties, before the monuments, before recorded history - there was a people, a land, and a sound that defined them both. This score is not something we created. It's something we remembered. Eleven thousand years of silence, and somewhere beneath all of it - the pulse was still there. By the time this film reaches you, the sound will have already changed something in you. That's what Kemet was always meant to do - not entertain. Awaken."

ABOUT DESERT EAGLE FILMS

Desert Eagle Films is an independent film studio founded in 2022 by Mo Ismail, with operations across Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. The studio develops all projects in-house with a focus on culturally authentic, award-calibre storytelling from the Middle East for global audiences. Kemet: Year One is the first of ten films under the studio's co-production alliance with BUC Studios.
www.deserteaglefilms.com

ABOUT BUC STUDIOS

BUC Studios is the commercial production arm of Badr University in Cairo, combining academic research infrastructure with professional film production capabilities. The studio's partnership with Desert Eagle Films represents a first-of-its-kind model integrating university resources directly into large-scale theatrical filmmaking across the MENA region.

www.bucstudios.com

MEDIA CONTACT:
Desert Eagle Films
info@deserteaglefilms.com
www.deserteaglefilms.com
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27920287/
Soundtrack: Available on all major streaming platforms

Desert Eagle Films
Suite 86, Yas Creative Hub
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Press: Andrew@deserteaglefilms.com

Desert Eagle Films is an independent film studio founded in 2022 by Mo Ismail, with operations across Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. The studio develops all projects in-house with a focus on culturally authentic, award-calibre storytelling from the Middle East for global audiences. Kemet: Year One is the first of ten films under the studio's co-production alliance with BUC Studios.
www.deserteaglefilms.com

This release was published on openPR.