Hesham Issawi (Arabic: هشام عيسوي) is an Egyptian American writer and director.
[6] He began his career working at a local TV station as an editor and in the documentary world before directing a few short subjects of his own.
Hesham's debut feature film, AmericanEast, about the plight of Middle Eastern people in America after 9/11, starred Sayed Badreya, Tony Shalhoub and Sarah Shahi.
Believing in independent cinema, he decided to make Cairo Exit in his homeland.
The movie was shot in Cairo with no permits due to the censorship rejecting the script.