Sayyid El Alami: Movies, Awards & Box Office

Sayyid El Alami, born in 1998 in the vibrant city of Toulouse, France, emerged from a modest Moroccan‑immigrant family as the youngest of six siblings, a background that deeply informed his artistic sensibilities. From an early age he was encouraged by his mother, Chafia, to appreciate cinema, a passion that later fueled his pursuit of acting after a brief childhood dream of becoming a professional soccer player was set aside by his parents. At twelve, he enrolled in the Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture, where he began formal acting lessons, and after completing high school he relocated to Paris to join 1000 Visages, an initiative founded by Houda Benyamina to democratize access to the film industry. His on‑screen debut arrived in 2018 with a minor role in the dramedy Monsieur je‑sais‑tout, and he quickly accrued experience through short films such as Basses, Pas si loin and 2 minutes 30, culminating in a supporting part in Bertrand Bonello’s Zombi Child (2019). The breakthrough came in 2020 when he portrayed Jibril Medina, a Palestinian refugee, in Netflix’s thriller series Messiah, a performance that garnered international attention and showcased his capacity for complex, emotionally charged roles. Subsequent projects displayed his versatility: he starred in Al Hadi Ulad‑Mohand’s Life Suits Me Well (2021), appeared in the TF1 remake Une si longue nuit, and delivered a compelling depiction of Cédric in Narvalo. That same year he headlined Paul Doucet’s action thriller The Pilot and embodied the titular figure in the acclaimed historical miniseries Oussekine, a role selected for his modernity and political awareness. In 2023 he contributed to The Book of Wonders, and in 2024 he expanded his reach with a cameo in A Gentleman in Moscow and a notable performance as Hacine in the coming‑of‑age film And Their Children After Them, earning his first Lumière Award nomination for Best Male Revelation. Recognized as one of Unifrance’s ten emerging French talents in January 2025, El Alami is slated to lead Thomas Vernay’s Fief and collaborate with Ismael El Iraki, confirming his rising status as a dynamic force in both French and international cinema.