For the first time, the Egyptian Media Hub (Egyptian media center) is officially present at the Cannes Film Festival film market, which is held from May 13 to 24, 2025, with a professional stand that marks a decisive step in the international radiation strategy of Egyptian content. This collective project, launched during the MIPCOM in Cannes in October 2023 – the international market for co -production and entertainment content – today takes on its fullness in one of the largest crossroads in world cinema. The presence of the HUB in Cannes 2025 confirms the desire to structure the Egyptian industry around a common word, capable of bringing the ambitions of a historically central country in the Arab audiovisual landscape.
The film market, which is held every year in parallel with the Cannes Film Festival, is a strategic space for producers, distributors, institutions, platforms and festivals. It allows professionals from around the world to sell, buy, co -produce or broadcast films. The presence of a stand dedicated to Egyptian Media Hub In this context reflects a clear will: that of building a tool for collective representation, capable of defending Egyptian creation internationally in all its forms, and of promoting its circulation. It is no longer an individual or sporadic participation in a market event, but the appearance of a structured actor, designed to last.
The participation of Egyptian Media Hub At the Cannes Film Festival is under the aegis of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, with the contribution of public organizations and private companies, as well as that of thirteen Egyptian entities working in the fields of production, distribution, writing, editing and visual effects. Other actors in the film sector are also represented: Shahinaz al-Akkad, Mohamed HefzyAhmed Badawy, Ali Al-Arabby, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Mariam Naoum, Hesham Fathy, Alaa Lashin, Adly Toma, Cédric Aoun and Ihab Munnir, in collaboration with Marwa Abu Leila and Nadine Abdel Ghaffar. They are all gathered around a common objective: to restore coherent and contemporary visibility to the richness of Egyptian industry. This grouping makes it possible to show a professional, organized and dynamic face of the Egyptian audiovisual sector, and to present an offer readable to international partners. It is not only a question of highlighting movies or isolated projects, but of representing an in full change ecosystem, capable of exporting its talents and its stories, offering competitive services and initiating ambitious co -productions.
Behind this initiative, influential figures of Egyptian production played a driving role, starting with Shahinaz El-Akkad, founder of Lagoonia Film Production, which has been working for the internationalization of Egyptian cinema for several years. Its commitment within the HUB, alongside other recognized professionals, reflects a long -term vision: professionalizing exchanges, creating solid bridges with foreign markets, and sustainably inscribing Egypt in the global networks of creation and audiovisual dissemination. This dynamic is accompanied by a desire to renew stories, with projects anchored in the contemporary realities of the country, carrying a new and varied look at Egyptian society.
“” Egypt is one of the oldest films of films in the world, a pioneer of cinema in the Arab region. The purpose of this initiative is to celebrate the creativity and talent of Egyptian artists, as well as their specific artistic content. Our mission is to disseminate these works on international platforms and build solid influence networks, especially since Egyptian artistic content is in great demand in the Arab world. We obviously aspire to further expand these collaborations and partnerships. “Said Shahinaz El-Akkad.
And she continues: ” After the success of our launch at the Mipcom in Cannes, where we have represented more than eight companies and received special recognition from many entities, we are delighted to continue this adventure, to present our singular works on one of the most prestigious world markets and to highlight our remarkable culture ».
The launch of Egyptian Media Hub At Mipcom last October was an important first step. Eight companies had participated, laying the foundations for an unprecedented collaboration network. The choice of Cannes for the logical continuation of this initiative is nothing of a coincidence: it is here that the great balances of world cinema are played out, it is here that the most strategic alliances are negotiated, and this is where the countries affirm their audiovisual identity through visible, thought, assumed presence. The HUB stand thus makes it possible to multiply meetings with buyers, distributors, managers of platforms and representatives of festivals from around the world, while serving as a rallying point for the Egyptian professionals present at the market.
This new Egyptian strategy is not limited to the presence of the hub. It is part of a broader mobilization of Egypt in Cannes this year. In parallel with the professional stand, a national pavilion welcomes visitors to the international village, where countries around the world are represented. Managed by the Cairo International Film Festival, the El Gouna film festival and the Egyptian film commission, this pavilion fulfills a diplomatic and official representation function, complementary to the more operational work carried out by the HUB. It testifies to a shared, public and private desire, to strengthen the Egyptian presence in all the spaces of the festival.
The center of Arab cinema, also present at the film market, participates in this collective dynamic by bringing together the initiatives of several countries in the region. Egypt plays a driving role, strong in its cinematographic history and its talent network. This partnership makes it possible to make Arab voices exist in a globalized market, to create regional bridges and to give increased visibility to the works of the Arab world.
This professional visibility strategy also finds an artistic echo: Two Egyptian films are included this year in the official festival selection. Aisha Can’t Fly Awayproduced by Morad Mostafa, is presented in the a certain look section, while Life after Siham From Namir Abdel Messeeh, appears in the ACID selection. These selections reinforce the discourse carried by the hub: Egyptian cinema is there, both in works, in structures, in exchanges and in ideas. He is not content to be visible, he is organized to be fully.
THE Egyptian Media Hub intends to capitalize on this presence in Cannes to establish perennial relations, to open up new perspectives of co -production, to develop the circulation of its contents and to affirm a contemporary identity of Egyptian cinema. It is not only a question of making films known, but also of offering a professional model that meets international standards. Egyptian creation only requires crossing new borders; She finally gives herself the means.
Neïla Driss
