As a Platinum sponsor, Rise Studios supported Cairo Industry Days, the festival's immersive workshop platform.
Rise Studios, an entertainment company driving investment in content from regional markets, closed its participation at the 44th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival by awarding the Jordanian film Inshallah a Boy by Amjad Al Rasheed with $10,000 in cash funding.
The cash award was given by Rise Studios as a part of the festival’s Cairo Film Connection platform which connects Arab talent to regional and international industry professionals, promoting talent growth by giving filmmakers, in-development films or films in post-production funding opportunities. Along with Rise Studios awarding Jordanian film Inshallah a Boy with $10,000 in cash funding, 16 more projects were awarded this year. The winning film directed and written by Amjad Al Rasheed examines the topic of women and inheritance in Jordan.
Rise Studios was also the platinum sponsor of the Cairo Industry Days, a platform hosted by the festival comprising immersive workshops by industry experts offering practical tools and knowledge to upcoming talent to support the growth of the industry. This year, the industry days included a ten-day filmmaking workshop by Hungarian Director Bela Tarr; a five-day session by cinematographer Irvin Li, and a scriptwriting workshop by prominent Egyptian scriptwriter Mariam Naoum. The festival also hosted a variety of masterclasses by prominent filmmakers, including Japanese Director Naomi Kawase, French Filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz, and Netflix’s Ben Perry. Ziad Srouji, SVP of Business and Content Development at Rise Studios spoke at the Youth Day session at Cairo Industry Days, aimed at upskilling film students. Ziad discussed film production, from development to financing and distribution. He explored the film production barriers with participating students, taking them through the production journey that starts from the film idea through to the film execution and distribution phase.
A spectrum of panel discussions saw industry veterans shed light on important topics, including the rise of Saudi cinema, the importance of film festival programming and the life cycle of a film post-theatrical release. Panellists included Amanda Turnbull, CEO of Rise Studios, alongside Aya Medhat, Head of Content Acquisition at streaming platform Shahid, Egyptian filmmaker Amr Salama, producer and founder of Front Row Gianlucca Chakra, and Film Clinic’s Jessica Khoury. The discussions addressed pressing issues such as transparency and increased exposure of local talent within the global filmmaking industry and the evolving content creation process.
Amanda Turnbull said: “We are honoured to have participated in the 44th Cairo International Film Festival, a festival that holds a regional legacy in the industry and is situated in the heart of Arab content. Through its remarkable platforms for regional talent, we have been able to engage with outstanding individuals and are extremely excited about awarding “Inshallah, a Boy” with funding to take the exceptional film even further. We are proud to be part of a film festival that truly gets behind the growth of the regional industry and look forward to coming back next year.”
While in Cairo, Rise Studios also hosted a launch party where prominent figures in Egyptian cinema such as Hussein Fahmy and Youssra, and internationally renowned individuals Mathieu Kassovitz and Bela Tarr attended amongst the wider industry community.
