October 24 event brought together filmmakers, industry professionals and supporters for a screening, panel and dinner featuring special guest Bassem Youssef

CORONA DEL MAR, California, October 26, 2026 - The M Film Lab presented a special screening of its award-winning short film Exception on Saturday, October 24, at The Port Theater in Corona del Mar. Hosted by Mohannad Malas and The M Film Lab Board, the evening brought together filmmakers, industry professionals and supporters for a program centered on storytelling, representation and opportunities for underrepresented voices.

The program included opening and closing remarks by Malas, the Lab’s founder, a screening of Exception, and a filmmaker panel moderated by Sami Sabawi. Panelists included Khaled Sabawi, founder of Open Screenplay and co-writer of Exception; Zaid Akkad, the film’s producer; and Carla Valentine, who plays Dean Valentina Cruz and mentored the Lab’s Women of Color cohort. A dinner reception followed the program.

Exception explores freedom of speech and institutional power through a hearing involving Professor Kareem. The panel was organized around the film’s journey from script to screen, the role of mentorship in developing new voices, and the barriers storytellers face in financing, producing and distributing their work.

Internationally recognized comedian and satirist Bassem Youssef joined the event as a special guest. A surgeon turned comedian and former host of Egypt’s political satire program El Bernameg, Youssef has built an international career using humor and storytelling to challenge assumptions and broaden perspectives.

“This event reflects what The M Film Lab was created to do. bring powerful stories to the screen and create meaningful connections between emerging storytellers and industry professionals,” said Mohannad Malas, founder of The M Film Lab.

The Lab’s origins grew out of Malas’s collaboration with Oscar Nominated Filmmaker Farah Nabulsi on The Present. The experience demonstrated how a personal story could connect with audiences beyond its own community and helped inspire opportunities for more underrepresented storytellers to bring their work to the screen.

From fall 2021 through summer 2026, The M Film Lab has offered eight cohorts, including programs supporting Muslim, Black, Latinx, South Asian and Indigenous screenwriters, as well as women of color. Its more recent cohorts have explored identity and imagination, and stories that connect people across differences.

About The M Film Lab

The M Film Lab is a nonprofit organization that champions emerging and underrepresented storytellers in film and television. Through script development, mentorship, creative collaboration and film production, the Lab helps distinctive voices transform their ideas into compelling films that reach audiences around the world. Its work expands access to the film industry and empowers storytellers to share authentic perspectives and shape the narratives that represent their communities. Learn more at www.mfilmlab.com.

Media contact:
Sami Alsabawi
info@mfilmlab.com
416-931-0987
www.mfilmlab.com