Mahdi Ahmed (born 17 October 1971 in Malé, Maldives) is a Maldivian screenwriter, director, and producer whose career in Dhivehi cinema spans more than two decades. He made his feature film debut with Amaanaaiy (1998), a project that earned him multiple awards at the Gaumee Film Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay — setting the tone for a prolific career in storytelling. 

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mahdi worked extensively on teledramas, directing and writing several productions for the Inter Office Teledrama Competition, winning numerous awards for his work. He also wrote for popular television series such as Hinithun Velaashey Kalaa (2006), which became widely recognized in local broadcast drama. 

In cinema, Mahdi’s screenplays cover a wide range of genres. He collaborated on the romantic disaster film Hureemey Inthizaarugaa (2005) and wrote the screenplay for Vaaloabi Engeynama (2006), earning another Gaumee Film Award for Best Screenplay. 

A significant landmark in his career was the experimental suspense thriller Ingili (2013), for which he wrote the screenplay. The film received international recognition, winning the Bronze Medal for Best Feature Film at the SAARC Film Festival in 2014 — a milestone for Dhivehi‑language cinema. 

Mahdi Ahmed is also known for his contributions to modern Maldivian films with contemporary and often humorous dialogue, such as Emme Fahu Vindha Jehendhen (2015) and Vaashey Mashaa Ekee (2016). 

His work extends to more recent projects, including writing for films like Kamanaa (2024), which deals with socially relevant themes and has achieved commercial success, as well as various short films and television miniseries that reflect ongoing changes in distribution platforms and audience engagement.