The 41st edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is continuing its midnight screenings program, which features seven films from around the world produced in 2019, after audiences flocked to attend midnight screenings as part of the successful CIFF initiative last year.
The midnight screenings program, which runs November 20-29, spans various genres and includes horror, crime, science fiction and action films not presented as part of other program screenings, such as the International Competition, Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition, Critics Week Competition, Cinema of Tomorrow, Official Selection out of Competition, Special Screenings, International Panorama, Tribute, and Egyptian Panorama.
CIFF will screen seven movies from around the world as part of the program, including the Spanish-Argentinian film “4X4” directed by Mariano Cohn and presented by the CIFF for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa. The film follows a thief who remains locked in a car for days without food or water, only to realize after time passes that someone outside controls him and the car.
The Swedish-Danish horror film “Koko-di Koko-da” directed by Johannes Nyholm will also be screened. The movie follows a married couple as they decide to embark on a romantic journey in the wild, but their getaway quickly transforms into a series of terrifying nightmares following a tragic incident.
The US-french film “Swallow” directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis, on the other hand, tells the story of a beautiful woman, Hunter, now married to a successful businessman. While the film’s leading lady may appear to have close to a perfect life, she feels bored by her daily routine and later discovers a new hobby that threatens to endanger her life and the life of her unborn child.
Also to be screened as part of the program is the Italian thriller “The Nest” directed by Roberto De Feo, which narrates the story of a paraplegic boy named Samuel who is prevented from leaving the secluded house he shares with his mother, Elena. Things change for Samuel, however, when housekeeper Dennis begins working at the home and the two discover the secret Elena has long been hiding.
The Chinese-French film “The Wild Goose Lake” directed by Diao Yinan will also be part of the midnight screenings program. The movie follows Zhou Zenong, recently released from prison, after he kills a police officer. As tensions between Zenong and fellow gang members escalate, the film’s protagonist finds himself trying to outrun both the city’s police force and its criminals.
The Luxembourgian-Belgian film “Skin Walker” directed by Christian Neuman will also make an appearance at CIFF’s midnight screenings. The film tells the story of Reginne, a woman who despite an unusual childhood is trying to live a normal life. That’s until a man who used to be in relationship with her mother visits her to tell her shocking details about how her grandmother’s death and her traumatized brother.
The seventh film to be screened as part of the program is Argentina’s “Bruja” (Witch) directed by Marcelo Páez Cubells. The movie follows single mother Selena, who is forced to use black magic to find her daughter after she is kidnapped by a prostitution ring.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
