District 9 Mall — Launch Film & Art Direction

District 9 Mall launch filmThe complete launch film.

Project noteCommercial mall · Leasing campaign

Brief

District 9 is a new commercial mall in Hadayek Al Ahram, near the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, designed as a Generation Z destination for food, entertainment, fitness and social life. The brief was to introduce it before launch, attract prospective tenants and investors, and show how its location, parking and experience mix address the shortcomings that weaken conventional malls.

Target

Position District 9 as a destination intended to generate footfall and give tenants a stronger opportunity to succeed—not simply another collection of retail units.

Audience

Prospective tenants and investors—particularly businesses looking for a location that can attract and retain a Generation Z audience.

The work38 source pieces

01The campaign story

A tenant's second chance.

بداية عصر مولات الجيل الجديد

Rather than presenting another conventional property film, the campaign follows Ezz El-Din—a successful restaurant-chain owner whose excellent food cannot save a branch opened in the wrong mall. After the closure sends him into a darkly comic therapy journey, a simple District 9 post introduces the thing his business was missing: a destination people already have reasons to visit. Events, shopping, a gym, fun zone, padel, dining, social experiences, parking and a Pyramids view arrive as answers to his experience—turning a familiar tenant fear into a direct leasing argument.

The insight

A great product cannot always compensate for the wrong location. When a mall is difficult to reach, offers no convenient parking and gives people little reason to visit or stay, even a strong business can pay the price.

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02Treatment & storyboard

Make the story shootable.

Use the storyboard to clarify reactions, transitions and key setups before the shoot
Develop the locations and setups collaboratively with the director and DOP

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03Home, reactions & setups

The character shapes the room.

Art direction

The visual direction follows Ezz El-Din's emotional journey: confidence and celebration, loss and isolation, therapy, surprise, and finally the relief of discovering a credible second chance. The film moves between his home, the restaurant he was forced to close and the therapist's clinic. Each environment was treated with natural, believable detail, keeping the character's world grounded while the writing and performance carried the exaggeration.

Let the character's changing emotional state drive the visual progression
Keep the home, restaurant and clinic natural rather than visibly over-styled

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04Restaurant & therapist's clinic

Carry the story across locations.

Select film frames that could continue the campaign story across key visuals and social media

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Role & creditsRole, scope and collaborators

My role

Art Direction, Treatment & Storyboard

Contributed to the campaign concept and film treatment
Developed the storyboard and translated the narrative into clear visual beats
Art directed the sets, locations and on-set setups
Collaborated with the director and DOP on the visual execution
Participated in selecting the shots and stills used across the social media rollout

Deliverables

Launch film
Film treatment & storyboard
Key visuals
Social media posts
Reels & short cutdowns

Selected credits

Director: Mahmoud Lasheen
DOP: Motaz Khaled
Art Direction: Ahmed Sallam
Client: NEXT Developments
Management agency: MRB
Social media agency: MRA

About Ahmed Sallam ↗Original project publication ↗

District 9 campaign case study: the right business, the right place. Context, insight, film execution and Ahmed Sallam's art direction, treatment and storyboard.

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