Stories and Strategies That Bridge Worlds
Stories and Strategies That Bridge Worlds
Our Story
In 2025- 2026 Fikra's latest project Eagles of the Republic, premiered in main competition in Cannes, was Sweden's official entry to the 2026 Academy Awards, and went on to win 6 Guldabagge awards including Best Film.
Founded in 2015, Fikra builds creative bridges between Scandinavia and the Middle East. We work across film, media, and the wider creative industries — producing original stories and providing strategic insight for organizations seeking to navigate cultural intersections with authenticity and impact.
We develop and produce films and documentaries with strong artistic voices and global appeal, while also advising organizations and institutions on cross-cultural strategy, market intelligence, and creative industry development.
At Fikra, we believe that ideas — fikra in Arabic — have the power to transform understanding across borders. Everything begins with an idea.
With more than 30 years of combined experience in film production, business development, and cultural strategy, we bring together artistic sensibility and analytical precision to turn ideas into outcomes.
What We Do
Fikra operates through two complementary pillars:
Film & Culture - Development, production, and co-production strategy for feature films and documentaries with global reach. We specialize in Nordic–MENA co-productions, navigating the funding, cultural, and logistical landscape across both regions.
Production credits include Eagles of the Republic (Cannes2025, six Guldbagge Awards), Children of Camp Ashraf 2024, Dreams of Djenné
2023, Boy from Heaven 2022 (Cannes, Oscar shortlisted).Strategy & Development - Research, analysis, and advisory forcreative industry organizations, public institutions, and governments. We
provide cross-cultural market intelligence, industry mapping, and policy recommendations.Clients include the Swedish Film Institute, Tillväxtverket (Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth), and the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. Our published reports have shaped Swedish government policy on film tax incentives and the digitalization of
cultural industries.Speaking & Industry Engagement - Fikra's founders are active voices in the international film & creative industries community; speaking at conferences, serving on festival juries and selection committees, and advocating for inclusive, globally resonant storytelling.
Together, these pillars make Fikra a unique hybrid: a creative studio and strategic consultancy committed to bridging worlds through ideas that matter.
Venture Partnerships
Team
We are passionate about working in the creative field, telling stories, & bridging the cultural gap...
Patrick El-Cheikh
Co-Founder & CEO
Patrick El-Cheikh is a cross-cultural business strategistwith deep roots in both Sweden and the Middle East. With over 15 years at Business Sweden- including heading the Swedish trade office in Riyadh and launching dedicated units for Creative and Cultural Industries. Patrick brings institutional knowledge of how creative businesses scale internationally. He
co-founded Fikra with Linda Mutawi in 2015.
Linda Mutawi
Co-Founder & Producer
Linda Mutawi is a Jordanian-Swedish producer with Palestinian roots and over 23 years of experience working across the UK, US, UAE, and Jordan. She is a producer on Tarik Saleh's Cairo Trilogy, their latest collaboration Eagles of the Republic was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2025, won six Guldbagge Awards, including Best Film, and was Sweden's official Oscar submission 2026.
Previously Head of Production Services at Jordan's Royal Film Commission, Linda is a graduate of the PGA Diversity
Workshop and EAVE Producers Workshop, and an active jury member, speaker, and advocate for inclusive global storytelling.Our Clients
Some of our clients...
Meta Film https://metafilm.dk/
Mobile Casting http://www.mobilecasting.se
Unlimited Stories https://www.unlimitedstories.se/
Zatara Films https://www.zatarafilms.com/
ATMO http://www.atmo.se
Indio http://indio.se/studio/
B-Reel https://www.b-reel.com
DDB House Agency http://www.ddb.se
Fido Film http://www.fido.se
Filmregion Stockholm- Mälardalen http://www.frsm.se
Frontier Middle East FZ http://www.frontier.fi
Goodbye Kansas Group http://goodbyekansasgroup.com
Idyll Films http://www.idyll.se
IFS / Int'Link http://intlink.se/sv/
Imagination Studios http://www.imaginationstudios.com
Stockholm Chamber of Commerce http://www.chamber.seSwedish Film Institute http://www.filminstitutet.se
Tillväxverket https://tillvaxtverket.se
Minority Rights Group UK http://minorityrights.org/cultural-programmes/middle-east-and-north-africa-drama-diversity-and-development/
