Each month of May, the Cannes Film Festival transforms the Croisette into a global film crossroads. Much more than a simple glamorous meeting, Cannes is an ecosystem in which artistic discovery coexist, the major economic issues of the sector and cultural geopolitical dynamics. The climb of the marches and the official competition attract the spotlight, but in parallel, the film market is in full swing, draining each year thousands of professionals who came to sell, buy, co -produce, or even make known the talents and resources of their countries. The international village, with its national pavilions aligned in front of the sea, is a strategic pillar.
Being present in Cannes is not only to exist on the symbolic map of world cinema, it is above all to be able to act in this global network of institutions, festivals, funds and diffusers. It is to seize the opportunity to make yourself visible, to meet the decision -makers, to share a vision, to present a project. It is also to build sustainable alliances, bring out new stories, and assert your identity in a planetary cinematographic dialogue. In this context, the Egyptian presence in Cannes 2025 has a very particular dimension.
A few weeks ago, The announcement of the return of an Egyptian pavilion to the international village had marked a first steppraised by Arab and African professionals as the signal of a renewed presence for cinematography as prestigious as it is influencing in the region. Today, the organizers unveil the content of the program which will be offered in this space between May 14 and 23, 2025. An ambitious program, thought of as a real manifesto of re -engagement, carried by three major institutions: the Festival du Film d’El Gouna (GFF), the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) and Egypt Film Commission (EFC). Together, they designed a series of meetings which intend to reflect the current effervescence of Egyptian cinema, its ambitions, and its openness to the world.
A collective strategy to strengthen visibility
“” Our presence within the Egyptian pavilion in Cannes underlines the power of collaboration“Said Amr Mansi, founder and executive director of the El Gouna Film Festival. “” Alongside the CIFF and EFC, we want to amplify the voice of Egyptian cinema and build sustainable bridges with the world cinematographic community. »»
This strategic return is not limited to a symbolic presence. It is accompanied by an assumed will to play an active role in the international dynamics of the sector. The choice to build the program around targeted professional meetings testifies to a desire for dialogue and co -production. The Egyptian pavilion will not be a simple reception point: it becomes an agora of reflection, a place of convergence and opportunities.
A program designed for professionals
The panel calendar has been carefully designed to meet the expectations of professionals present in Cannes, whether producers, festival programmers, institutional decision -makers or industry experts.
Wednesday May 14, 4 p.m. – 5.30 p.m.
Film in Egypt: a global shooting destination
This inaugural session will highlight the advantages offered by Egypt as a place of filming for foreign productions: various sets, experienced labor, logistical and tax support. Concrete testimonies will illustrate the country’s ability to welcome ambitious projects.
In this regard, it is interesting to note that in November 2024, during the Ciff edition, The festival offered its guests an exclusive visit to the Egyptian Media Production City (EMPC), a colossal complex located on the outskirts of Cairo. This space of 2 million square meters is a pillar of Egyptian audiovisual industry, bringing together 90 filming studios, production workshops, an academy – The International Academy for Engineering and Media Sciences (IAEMS) – a training center in audiovisual trades, and workshops for the production of sets. The Production Services Center of the EMPC provides a full range of services for local and international producers, including obtaining various authorizations for foreign filming in Egypt.
Thursday May 15, 3.30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
From Hollywood to Cairo: connecting the American and Egyptian industries
This panel will be interested in possible synergies between Hollywood industry and Egyptian talents, through co -productions, the circulation of works, but also the mobility of professionals. The emphasis will be placed on the existing mechanisms, the tracks to explore and the barriers to lift.
Friday May 16, 4:00 p.m. – 5.30 p.m.
Strengthen the ecosystem: Building bridges between Arab festivals
Bringing together several managers of festivals in the region, this round table aims to encourage intra-arab cooperation, better structure the circulation of works and harmonize support efforts for young talents.
Saturday, May 17, 11:30 am – 1:00 p.m.
Common field: co -produce with and in the Arab world
This meeting will address the co -production models in place, successful partnerships, administrative challenges, but also development prospects. It aims to offer European and international producers a concrete understanding of work mechanisms in the Arab world.
Saturday May 17, 3.30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The new wave: Light on young Arab filmmakers
A panel conceived as a showcase of emerging voices, where young directors will share their visions, their influences, their difficulties and their hopes. It will also be an opportunity to highlight two Arab films selected this year in Cannes: Aisha Can’t Fly Anymore (A certain look) andLife After Siham (ACID).
A collective dynamic praised by the organizers
“”Inspiring discussions to celebrations around films such as Aisha Can’t Fly AnymoreAnd Life After Sihamour Cannes program aims to highlight the talents and opportunities of the Egyptian cinematographic landscape“Underlined Marianne Khoury, artistic director of the El Gouna Film Festival.
One of the strengths of this initiative lies in its unifying character. It combines three entities with distinct but complementary identities. The CIFF, the second oldest festival in the Arab world (after the cinematographic days), has undisputed historical legitimacy. The El Gouna Film Festival, more recent but resolutely turned to international, focuses on innovation, training and young talents. As for the Egypt Film Commission, it guarantees the institutional anchoring of the approach and the continuity of long -term efforts.
Return to Cannes… to be reborn in the Arab world?
For long decades, Egypt was the beating heart of Arab cinema. Undoubtedly. His films crossed the borders, his stars were adored throughout the Arab world, and his dialect has become, thanks to the cinema, the common language of a shared imagination. Three, even four generations of Arabs grew up with the voices of Cairo in the background, integrating without even thinking about the turns and accents of this cinematography which then seemed unbeatable.
But time is never frozen. And in recent years, Egyptian cinema has experienced shortness of breath, sometimes a real decline. Caught in a spiral of commercial productions with purely entertaining aim, he has largely ceased to explore new forms, new stories, new faces. Meanwhile, around him, other Arab cinemas took momentum, invented new languages, attracted funding, organized festivals, seduced platforms, and sometimes even the juries of the major international festivals.
Faced with this regional dynamic in recomposition, Egypt today seems to want to resume its place, regain a centrality that it has long believed acquired. By settling in a visible, assertive and collective way at the heart of the Cannes Film Festival, she is not only trying to show her films, but to reposition herself in a global ecosystem in full transfer.
This return will be neither simple nor immediate. But all path begins with an act. And this pavilion, this program, this assertive desire to reconnect with the international, are perhaps the first milestones. It is now up to her to transform this ambition into movement. And to us, spectators, criticisms, programmers, partners, to look again towards Cairo – no longer by nostalgia, but with a curiosity well rooted in the present.
Neïla Driss
