“Cairo International Film Festival”… full details of its 46th session

The confusion that preceded the press conference held by the Egyptian artist Hussein Fahmy, President of the Cairo International Film Festival, and the film critic Mohamed Tarek, the artistic director of the festival, did not affect the announcement of the activities of the forty-sixth session, which will be held at the Cairo Opera House, from the 12th to the 21st of next November, in the context of revealing the most prominent activities of the festival and its honorees.

Distributing an initial poster for the forty-sixth festival to local and Arab media, then withdrawing it an hour later, caused great confusion among journalists, as some considered that there was no need to publish a poster that was initially said to be official, then apologize for it and withdraw it, and be content with a statement indicating that the final and official poster would be revealed later.

At the press conference, which was attended by a group of Egyptian cinema stars, including: Mahmoud Hemida, Lebleba, and Laila Elwi, the artist Hussein Fahmy confirmed that the “Cairo International Film Festival” represents one of the basic marks in Egypt’s artistic memory, and in the conscience of every true cinema lover in the Arab world, and he said: “I am pleased and honored to stand before you today, as one of you, and a person passionate about cinema, who believes that true art has the ability to change reality and create… “Hope is in people’s hearts even in the most difficult moments of life.” He explained that the festival’s vision, this year, is based on “human beings” as a pivotal issue, through films that tell about their concerns and dreams, and embody Egypt’s message as a beacon of creativity and enlightenment.

Honorees from Egypt…and the world:

In its forty-sixth session, the Cairo International Film Festival honors a group of Egyptian, Arab and international filmmakers, as an indication of its appreciation for their careers and their great cinematic artistic career, and they are:

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– The great director Mohamed Abdel Aziz, who will be awarded the Golden Pyramid Lifetime Achievement Award.

– Senior Director of Photography Mahmoud Abdel Samie, who will also be presented with the Golden Pyramid Lifetime Achievement Award.

– Star Khaled El Nabawy, who will be awarded the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence.

– Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi, who will be honored with the Golden Pyramid Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her artistic career, which was characterized by a deep sense of humanity and won major international awards, including: “Golden Camera” and “Golden Bear.” Her latest film, “The Silent Friend,” will be shown in the festival’s official competition.

– Palestinian artist Hiam Abbas, who will be honored with the Golden Pyramid Award, in recognition of her efforts in illuminating humanitarian and social issues through a global artistic career, during which she participated in major works, such as: “Munich” and “Succession,” and remained an expressive voice for the issue of the Palestinian people.

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Jury committees for Cairo International Film Festival competitions:

– International Competition Jury: It is headed by the great Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and its members include: Italian editor Simona Baggi, Chinese director Guan Hu, Egyptian director Nadine Khan, Egyptian actress Basma, Tunisian director Leila Bouzid, and Romanian director Bogdan Moresanu.

Parallel competitions arbitration committees:

– Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition: It is headed by critic Mohamed Nabil.

– International Critics Week Competition: It is headed by critic Osama Abdel Fattah.

– Short Film Competition: It is headed by critic Marwan Amara.

– Best Documentary Film Award: It is headed by critic Rami Al-Metwally.

– New Media Presentations Section: It is headed by critic Noura Kahil.

The jury committees for the NETPAC Awards for Best Asian Film, the FIPRESCI Awards, and the Best Arab Film Award were also announced.

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Films participating in the Cairo International Film Festival:

9 films participating in the Arab Cinema Horizons Competition:

– “The Pasha’s Daughters”, directed by Mohamed El Adl/Egypt.

– “Round 13”, directed by Muhammad Ali Al-Nahdi/ Tunisia.

– “Aza”, directed by Stephanie Brockhaus/ Germany.

– “So-and-So,” directed by Zahraa Ghandour/Iraq, France, and Qatar.

– “Kundava”, directed by Ali Benjelloun/Morocco.

– “Silent Dog”, directed by Sarah Francis/Lebanon.

– “Complaint No. 713317”, directed by Yasser Shafi’i / Egypt.

– “As if it never happened”, directed by Sarah Abidi/ Tunisia.

– “Against Cinema”, directed by Ali Saeed/Saudi Arabia.

8 films participating in the International Critics Week competition:

– “Siblings”, directed by Greta Scarano/ Italy.

“Odyssey of Joy,” directed by Zjem Terzigi/Kosovo and France.

– “Land of the Canes”, directed by Sven Presser/Netherlands and Belgium.

– “At My Parents’ House,” directed by Tim Elrich/Germany.

– “Do Yu Lafm”, ikhraj Lana zaher/ France, Walbanan, and Germany, and Qatar.

– “That Summer in Paris”, directed by Valentin Cadec/France.

– “My Beloved Hussein”, directed by Alex Bakri/ Palestine, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden.

– “The Botanist”, directed by Jing Yi/China.

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12 films in the international competition:

– “Alienation”, directed by Mehdi Hmeli / Tunisia, Luxembourg, France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

“The Things That Kill You,” directed by Ali Reza Khatami/Türkiye, Canada, France, and Poland.

– “Restoration”, directed by Gabriel Urbonite/Lithuania, Latvia, and Belgium.

– “Soraya, My Love”, directed by Nicolas Khoury/Lebanon and Qatar.

– “Silent Running”, directed by Marta Bergman/Belgium and Canada.

– “Málaga Street”, directed by Meriem Touzani/ Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

– “Willow”, directed by Peter Sant/Malta.

– “Once Upon a Time in Gaza,” directed by Tarzan and Arab Nasser/France, Palestine, Germany, Portugal, Qatar, and Jordan.

“Death Has No Existence,” directed by Felix Dufour-Labarriere/Canada.

– “City of Sands”, directed by Mehdi Hassan/Bangladesh.

– “An Show Has Lost Us”, directed by Mai Saad and Ahmed Al-Danaf/Egypt.

– “Dragonfly”, directed by Paul Andrew Williams/United Kingdom.

11 films in the official section screenings outside the competition:

– “Woman and Child”, directed by Saeed Rostaei/Iran.

– “Franz”, directed by Agnieszka Holland/Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland.

– “Continental 25”, directed by Radu Jude/Romania.

– “Case 137”, directed by Dominique Moll/France.

– “The Maestro of Tennis”, directed by Andrea Di Stefano/Italy.

– “What Nature Tells You,” directed by Hong Sang-soo/South Korea.

– “The Blue Path”, directed by Gabriel Mascaro / Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and the Netherlands.

– “Mirrors 3”, directed by Christian Petzold/Germany.

– “A Silent Friend”, directed by Ildiko Enyedi/Germany, Hungary, and France.

– “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, directed by Kawthar Ben Haniyeh / Tunisia and France.

“A Sermon to the Void,” directed by Hilal Baydarov/Azerbaijan, Mexico, and Turkey.

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13 films in the festival’s special screenings:

– “Amhat صغيرات”, اخهارج جان – بير, ولوك دردين/ Belgium, and France.

“The Dandelion Odyssey”, directed by Momoko Seto/France and Belgium.

– “Imajo”, ikhraj عمر عمر بيتسايف/ France, and Belgica.

– “Action Item”, directed by Paula Dorenova/Slovakia, Czechia, and Germany.

– “Silent Rebellion”, directed by Marie-Elsa Squaldo/Switzerland, Belgium, and France.

– “Life After Siham”, directed by Namir Abdel Masih/ France and Egypt.

– “Kim Novak’s Vertigo” directed by Alexander O. Philip/United States.

– “Rosemd”, directed by Eric Lin/United States.

– “Chopin, Sonata in Paris”, directed by Michal Kwiczynski/ Poland.

– “Mother’s Child” directed by Johanna Moder/Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

– “Love Triangle”, directed by Alaa Mahmoud/Egypt.

– “Who is Still Alive”, directed by Nicolas Wadimov/France, Switzerland, and Palestine.

– “Back Home”, directed by Neerj Jayawan/ India.

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