Cairene Dreams

Set in 1950’s Cairo, Kamal, an aspiring writer, in Cairo, works a mundane job in his uncle Naguib's pharmacy. Kamal is let go and as a parting gift, given an elixir that is purported to cure writer's block. Kamal goes on to find work with his best friend Bassem, in a struggling hotel. While writing, Kamal decides to drink the potion, and in the night has vivid dreams. Upon awakening he finds his characters have come to life. Once calming down from his initial shock| he has them appear as guests in the hotel to steer clear of trouble. He then realizes with the potion he can manifest many characters from his imagination. Kamal begins to connect with one of his characters, Amarna due to their shared longing for identity. Kamal abandons writing his novel, to use his talent to bring more characters to life to keep the hotel thriving. His plans seem to go well until he spills the elixir accidentally, preventing his ability to create more customers. Now he must find a way to get access to more of the potion before financial gains are lost. Meanwhile, a guest, Professor Donnelly, who seeks academic fame no matter the cost, along with his protégé Max, notice the strange and mystical happenings in the hotel and realize Kamal is the source. Donnelly has Max follow Kamal to uncover the mystery. Kamal seeks help from his uncle to get more elixir, but in order to do so, they must find a missing ingredient. They meet up with Rania, a tough and street-savvy shop owner, who knows the ins and outs of rare treasures in Cairo. Max, in his curiosity, ends up joining the group in their mission to find the missing ingredient, but before they start their journey, they learn the power of the elixir is coming to an end. Now the search becomes dire to save, a particular character, Amarna before she fades away. Rania brings the group to the slums of “Garbage City”, where they find a hidden tomb of an ancient Egyptian alchemist and in the process of gaining the missing ingredient, they are caught by an entity who has come to life from the elixir they're searching for. Fortunately, they escape by sheer luck with the elixir. Upon returning to the hotel they find Professor Donnelly who demands the elixir to advance his fame. Kamal then has to save his uncle, sacrificing the chance to save Amarna. Kamal learns a lesson from this journey: once one realizes their full potential| he becomes free to live his dreams.