Cairo International Film Festival opens applications for its 47th session… and sets its date

The management of the Cairo International Film Festival opened its doors to the makers of the Seventh Art around the world. To participate in the forty-seventh session of the festival, which is scheduled to be held at the Cairo Opera House, from November 11 to 20, 2026. The “Festival” has allocated a link on its website to receive applications for participation, until the beginning of August 2026, with an early application period available until the 22nd of next May.

A renewed artistic vision:

Artist Hussein Fahmy, President of the Festival, confirmed that the Cairo Film Festival renews its commitment to attracting works that reflect the diversity of human visions, continuing its role as a leading platform for intellectual dialogue between creators and the public. For his part, critic Mohamed Tariq, the artistic director of the festival, pointed out that the submission window represents an annual window; To discover promising talents and new cinematic voices, which enrich the “Festival” screen with their artistic specificity.

Fruits of the “Cairo Forum”… in international forums:

In terms of parallel achievements, and within the activities of the “Malmo Arab Film Festival,” the Yemeni feature film “The City 2008,” directed by Youssef Al-Sabahi, won a financial award of $5,000. To support the development phase of the “Malmo Film Industry Days”.

This win comes as a culmination of a journey that began with the Cairo Film Forum, in its eleventh session, last year. The choice of the “Malmo Festival” for this project, in particular, demonstrates the high artistic value of the works that the “Forum” attracts, and its pivotal role in pushing serious Arab cinema towards international platforms. The film, produced by Alaa Amer and Edita Jancak Herriart, narrates the suffering of Fouad, a construction worker who faces the risk of marginalization in a Yemeni city whose social features are being reshaped by wars.

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Restoring the luster of the 46th session:

It is noteworthy that the previous session (2025) witnessed exceptional celebratory moments, as the artist Khaled El Nabawy was honored with the “Faten Hamama Award for Excellence,” and the director Mohamed Abdel Aziz was honored with the “Golden Pyramid Award.” The festival administration also awarded the “Golden Pyramid Lifetime Achievement Award” to: the distinguished director of photography Mahmoud Abdel Samie, whose lens documented the history of Egyptian cinema through 200 films, and the international Palestinian star Hiam Abbas, in recognition of a long artistic career that embodied the strength of Arab identity in international forums, from “Gaza Monamor” to “Bye Bye Tiberias.”

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