Stories and Strategies That Bridge Worlds
Stories and Strategies That Bridge Worlds
Our Story
Eagles of the Republic premiered in the main competition at Cannes (2025), was Sweden’s official submission to the 2025 Academy Awards, and won six Guldbagge Awards, including Best Film.
Founded in 2015, Fikra operates at the intersection of film, ventures, and international business, with a particular focus on collaboration between Scandinavia and the Middle East.
We develop, co-produce, and produce films with strong artistic voices and global reach, while working with companies and institutions on cross-border strategy, market expansion, and creative industry development.
Our work combines creative production with strategic execution — bringing together cultural understanding, business insight, and international experience.
With more than 30 years of combined experience across film, business development, and cross-cultural collaboration, we build and develop projects that move across cultures and markets.
Fikra — the Arabic word for idea. Everything begins with one.
What We Do
Fikra operates across three integrated areas, combining film production, venture building, and hands-on strategic advisory.
Film - Development, production, and co-production of feature films and documentaries with global reach, with a particular focus on Nordic–MENA collaborations. We navigate the funding, cultural, and logistical landscape across both regions.
Selected credits include Eagles of the Republic (Cannes 2025, six Guldbagge Awards, with Apparaten and Unlimited Stories), Boy from Heaven (Cannes 2022, Oscar shortlisted, with Atmo), Dreams of Djenné (2023), and Children of Camp Ashraf (2024, with Atmo).
Strategic Advisory & International Business Development
We advise companies, institutions, and public sector stakeholders on strategy, market expansion, and cross-border collaboration, with a particular focus on the creative economy.We work across strategy and execution — from market expansion and policy advisory to hands-on business development and project delivery. Our work includes supporting market entry, developing cross-border partnerships, and positioning companies for investor engagement. Our clients include the Swedish Film Institute, Embracer Group, Goodbye Kansas, and the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. Our work has also contributed to policy development around film incentives and the digital transformation of cultural sectors.
Fikra’s founders are active contributors to the international film and creative industries ecosystem, participating as speakers, jury members, and advisors.
Ventures & Partnerships - We actively build and support ventures in the creative industries, combining strategic involvement and selective ownership. Our engagement ranges from founder and operator roles to board participation and long-term partnerships. We focus on companies where cultural industries intersect with technology, global markets, and new business models. Rather than passive investment, we contribute through strategic positioning, venture development, and cross-market growth.
Together, these areas position Fikra as a hybrid platform where film, ventures, and international business converge.
Fikra — where ideas move.
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 Sweden-based entrepreneur and cross-cultural business strategist with over 25 years of experience in international business across Europe and the Middle East. He co-founded his first internet venture as early as 1996 and has previously served as Swedish Trade Commissioner to Saudi Arabia, leading Sweden’s commercial presence in the Kingdom. He later held senior roles within Business Sweden, working across strategic business development, the creative industries, and technology.
He is the co-founder and CEO of Fikra, where he builds ventures and develops projects at the intersection of business, culture, and technology.
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 and partners...
Dialoginstitutet: https://www.swedenabroad.se
NMBRS: https://www.nmbrs.studio/
Embracer Group: https://embracer.com/
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/
