The 45th edition of the film festival has also announced a new competition for documentaries as part of the festival’s development plan.
Cairo International Film Festival has opened submissions in all categories for its 45th edition, which will take place at the Egyptian Opera House from 15 to 24 November.
The deadline for submissions of projects is August 1, 2023.
Speaking about the submission process, Hussein Fahmy, President of the film festival, said: “We are happy with all the great feedback we have received about the last edition from both the press and the festival’s audience, and we are proud of all achievements of 44th edition at the level of programming and inviting important industry guests. We also consider receiving great industry stars such as Bella Tarr, Naomi Kawase, and Matthew Kassowitz, and the special programme for the late French director Jean-Luc Godard, as an indication of the global position of CIFF worldwide, and the place it occupies with its ancient history in the cinema industry. We promise the festival audience an edition no less than the previous one in terms of the quality and level of films and the rather important participating guests.”
Amir Ramses, Director of the festival, added: “Choosing the programme for the 44th edition’s films was a great adventure, and full of ambition that made this edition worthy of the name and history of Cairo Film Festival. We were so pleased to share this diverse group of distinguished films with the festival’s audience, and this year we promise several similar surprises at the level of various film competitions and special festival programmes.
“We also added this year a competition for documentary films as part of the festival’s development plan and its absorption of various currents and cinematic styles, not to mention celebrating rather a valuable genre in the industry.”
At the 44th edition of the festival, 103 films from 53 countries were screened, including 30 international premieres and 57 Middle East and North African premieres.
Based on the festival’s role in strengthening and developing the film industry and preserving cinematic heritage, the 44th edition witnessed the restoration and re-presentation of two classic Egyptian films, Diary of a Deputy in the Countryside by Tawfiq Saleh and Song through the passage by Ali Abdel Khalek.
