The management of the annual Cairo Film Society Festival, headed by Director of Cinematography Mahmoud Abdel Samie, announced that the 47th and 48th session will be held from January 29 until February 5 at the Creativity Center at the Egyptian Opera House.
The awards and honors ceremony are set for February 12.
According to the management, this edition is exceptional as it follows after last year’s cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Abdal Samie said: “ The festival seeks to present the state of Egyptian cinema and monitor what it presented through the works shown in Egyptian theaters every year, but with the conditions of the coronavirus and the closure, there is a new mediator that must be dealt with, which is the digital platforms, the festival management added an item in the festival list to cope with this angle”.
The participation of films that were shown on these platforms of Egyptian production to compete for the festival awards through the jury’s views of them, especially since during the closure period it performed the role of cinemas, where three films competed during 2020 and two during 2021.
He explained that via a general referendum made up of association members, critics, journalists and filmmakers, the best of the best of 2020/2021’s films shown in theaters and digital platforms have been decided as the following:
2020’s finalists:
- Youm w Leila” by Ayman Makram
- Sondok al Donia” by Imad Al-Bahat
- “Saheb al Makam” by Muhammad Jamal Al-Adl
- “Hazr Tagawol” by Amir Ramses
- “Tawaam Rohy” by Othman Abu Laban
2021’s finalists:
- “Waefet Regala” by Ahmed al-Gendy,
- “Al-Arif” by Ahmed Alaa al-Deeb
- “al Ens w al Nems” by Sherif Arafa
- “Moussa” by Peter Mimi
- “200 Geneh” by Muhammad Amin
- “Bara al Manhag” by Amr Salama.
- “Abu Saddam” by Nadine Khan
- “Kabal Lal Kasr” by Ahmed Rashwan
Samie also discussed new developments in the festival, including a new item in the list of international Arab feature films in Egyptian cinemas from a referendum to be awarded ‘Best Arab Film’.
The six finalists are:
- “Between Heaven and Earth” by Palestinian director Najwa Najjar,
- “You will die at twenty” by Sudanese director Amjad Abu Al-Ala,
- “200 meters” by Palestinian director Amin Nayfeh,
- “If You Want, Like Heaven” by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman,
- “The Man Who Sold His Back” by Tunisian director Kawthar Ben Haniyeh
- “Gaza Monamour” by Palestinian director Arab Nasser.
The Film Society Festival is held every year in collaboration with the Syndicate of Film Professions and the Cultural Development Fund, supported by the Ministry of Culture.
The films in which the members of the association participate are chosen from among those exhibited during the previous year’s festival. It is the only festival in which the festival’s management chooses the films, film owners do not apply to participate in the festival, and the best are chosen by members of the association voting on the top seven films exhibited.
It is the only year-round festival that has been held on a regular basis for many years and has not halted since its inception in 1975, by the Film Association’s critics and filmmakers.
