Happy Birthday (Egyptian Arabic: ÃÂçèàèÃÂñë ïçÃÂ) is a 2025 Egyptian coming-of-age drama film co-written and directed by Sarah Goher in her directorial debut. It stars Nelly Karim, Hanan Motawie, Sherif Salama, Aly Sobhy and Doha Ramadan. It follows an 8-year-old maid who throws a birthday party for her upper-class friend.
Happy Birthday had its world premiere at the 24th Tribeca Film Festival on June 5, 2025, where it was honored with the Best International Narrative Feature Award as well as the Nora Ephron Award and Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature. It was selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Toha, an eight-year-old girl who works as a maid for a wealthy family in Cairo, is determined to organize a perfect birthday party for Nelly, her employer's daughter. However, the social hierarchy between employer and maid forces the young woman to face a harsh reality.
The film had its world premiere on June 5, 2025, at the 24th Tribeca Film Festival, and then screened on October 16, 2025, at the 8th El Gouna Film Festival.
The film had its commercial premiere on October 16, 2025, in Egyptian theaters.