Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy’s upcoming memoir, The Marriott Cell, documents the harrowing ordeal which saw him, Greste and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed incarcerated for 400 days in Egypt’s infamous Tora prison.
Following their arrest at Cairo's Marriot Hotel in 2013, Egyptian prosecutors linked them to supposed student terrorist groups connected with the Muslim Brotherhood, though no evidence was provided during several trials.
After a sustained campaign by the Greste family and the Australian government, Peter Greste was deported from Egypt in February 2015. Fahmy and Mohamed were pardoned and released seven months later.
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On board to produce the screenplay adaptation of Fahmy’s memoir is Michael Bronner, who has co-produced films such as Green Zone (2010) and Captain Phillips (2013).
Internationally known Egyptian film star Amr Waked is set to play Fahmy.
In a statement, Fahmy said The Marriott Cell would capture the inner struggle experienced by the three journalists.
"A feature is going to allow us to relive and dramatically portray what no news reel grasped; one's inner voice caught in an emotional struggle between lawlessness, failed corporate decisions, and bureaucratic red tape that left us in a vicious Kafquesqe black hole fighting for our lives and that bigger cause of press freedom."
