The management of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) organized a press conference to present its 42th edition which will take place from December 2 to 10, 2020a special edition because of the Cavid 19 pandemic that rages around the world.
Mohamed Hefzy, President of CIFF for the third consecutive yearalso specified that the decision to organize or not this edition of the year 2020 was very difficult to take, because of the uncertainty relating to the evolution of the disease, and the exceptional measures which are taken to face it, making almost impossible to make forecasts, even in the medium term. Organizing a festival under these exceptional conditions amounts to taking up almost insurmountable challenges and taking a huge responsibility especially as to the health of all festival -goers.
He also added that if the members of the High Advisory Committee of this 42th Edition, in consultation with the Egyptian authorities finally decided to organize this edition, it is because they considered that it was very important that the CIFF continues. This festival has a very important role to fulfill, particularly for professionals and filmmakers, who need to work, to show their films, especially for those of them who have current projects and who need help and promotion, which will be done thanks to the platforms “Cairo Industry Days” and “Cairo Film Connection”.
Since the start of this pandemic, the CIFF 42 would be the second major festival to take place in Egypt, after The 4th Edition of the El Gouna Film Festival which took place last October. This also made it possible to learn from your experience to put in place the necessary measures, which will also be priority.
Mohamed Hefzy, president of CIFF
Mr.hefzy recalled that this new edition will be marked by a new team within the artistic committee after the resignation of critic Ahmed Shawky last summer. He also took the opportunity to thank the latter for all the efforts he had made and the work he had accomplished for the festival for several years and even for this edition.
It is obvious that the CIFF lost in the person of Ahmed Shawky, a very precious collaborator, who knew how to take initiatives, innovate, and who was especially passionate about his work and by cinema. He will leave a big void!
Poster of the 42nd edition of CIFF
It was also during this conference that the poster of this edition was presented, designed and produced by Ziad Al Samahi and Khaled Fadda, under the supervision of director Hisham Fathy and the executive director of CIFF, Omar Qasim. The latter explained that this poster celebrates the film industry which did not engage in the pandemic of COVID 19, and which, despite the suffering and difficulties, kept the hope that the light will come back after the darkness which has reigned in closed rooms for several months.
The poster makes a parallel between the myth of Isis and Osiris and the festival of which the goddess Isis is precisely the emblem. As the goddess Isis had gone up the Nile in search of her husband’s dispersed members to recover and revive it by mummy, the ISIS of the CIFF goes up the Nile in search of the 42 Pyramids of Golden Light to recover them and thus revive the cinema.
Mohamed Hefzy has also announced a novelty for this edition: the honor awards that are awarded each year to personalities who have enriched cinematographic art with exceptional works now bear the name of golden pyramid and silver pyramid.
Wahid Hamid, Egyptian author and screenwriter
This year, the Golden Pyramid will be awarded to Wahid Hamid, Egyptian author and screenwriter. His scriptwriter’s career began to take off in the early 1970s when he started writing dramatic series for television and radio. It was not until later that he had written for cinema. His first film was Tayir Alhazin Alhazin (1977) directed by Yehia Al Alami with whom Hamid worked again a few years later on the film Fetwat Boulaq (1981) adapted from a novel by Naguib Mahfouz.
Wahid Hamid presented more than 40 films throughout his career and nearly 30 dramatic series for television and radio. His works were praised both by criticism and by numerous prizes in prestigious local and international festivals. In addition, two of his films Alkeb ma’a alkebar – playing with the powerful (1991) produced by Sherif Arafah, and Al baree – the innocent (1986) Directed by Atef al-Taeib, were chosen to appear in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema.
Christopher Hampton, playwright and British screenwriter
As for the silver pyramid, it will be awarded to Christopher Hampton, playwright and British screenwriter.
Christopher Hampton’s passion for the theater started during his studies at the University of Oxford before putting his experience at the service of cinema in the early 1970s, when he began to adapt famous literary works.
Dangerous connections (1988), adapted from the novel of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, is considered the most important film in his career, and has earned him the Oscar for the best suitable script. Christopher Hampton was appointed for another Oscar in the same category for the film Come back to me (2007), adapted from a novel of the same title, by the British writer Ian McEwan, in addition to two other appointments for the Golden Globe and Bafta.
The Father – The Fatherhis most recent work based on a play by Florian Zeller, was chosen to be the opening film of this 42th Edition of the CIFF.
Mona Zaki, Egyptian actress
The Prix of Excellence Faten Hamama, which is awarded to relatively young cinema personalities, who have completed a distinguished cinematographic achievement This year will be for young actress Mona Zakiwhich will thus succeed Hend Sabry (2018) and Menna Shalaby (2019).
The year 2020 marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of the late Italian director Federico Fellini, one of the most important directors in the history of cinema. On this occasion, the Cairo International Film Festival in cooperation with the Italian Cultural Institute is organizing a special celebration, which includes the screening of the documentary film (which had been presented to the Cannes film market) Spirit Fellini (2020) by Selma Dell’olio and restored copies of the four most famous films in Fellini: Cabiria nights (1957), Dolce Vita (1960), 8 ½ (1963) and Spirit Juliette (1965). In addition to these films, the public will be able to discover the director behind the scenes of his films through a photo exhibition.
Federico Fellini and his Oscar of Honor in March 1993
This year, because of the restrictions due to the pandemic, only 83 films will be scheduled (150 in 2019): 67 feature films and 17 short films from 43 different countries, including 13 films in the world’s first, 7 in international first, 52 in first Mena and 6 in first African.
Twelve of these films will be screened in a red carpet gala, in the presence of their teams.
Twenty-one of these films were made by women, to try to respect The 50/50 agreement signed by the CIFF in 2019 by which he undertook to try to balance between the two sexes.
Ten of these films had already been released a few days agothe others were at this conference.
CIFF 42 – Members of the international competition jury.
Mohamed Hefzy presented the members of the jury of the international competition, while pointing out that it was very difficult to compose the juries given the travel restrictions.
– Alexander Sokuroone of the most important Russian directors will be the president of the jury; – Karim AynouzBrazilian director of Algerian origin. He won several prizes in prestigious festivals, includingE Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival for his film The invisible life of Euridice Gusmao (2019) ; – Burhan QurbaniGerman director and screenwriter; – Najwa Najjar, Palestinian screenwriter, director and producer. His second film Eyes of a thief – The eyes of a thief (2014) won the Best actor Prize for Khaled Abol Naga in Ciff 2014 And had been the Palestinian Application at the 2015 Oscars for the best foreign film. His third feature film Between heaven and earth (2019) won the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for the best scenario at 41th Edition of CIFF and was selected at the European Film Academy Awards 2020; – Gaby KhouryEgyptian producer and distributor; – Naian Gonzalez NorvindMexican actress and screenwriter – LeblebaEgyptian actress, who had started her career when she was only 5 years old. She won several best actress prizes at several festivals.
We will notice that there too, the CIFF tried to respect a certain parity between the two sexes, always in accordance with the 50/50 convention.
After the exhibition of films in the various festival sections, the press conference ended with the presentation of COVVI 19 measures, set up in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).
CIFF 42 – COVID 19 measures
Several medical teams will accompany the festival, with a medical office within the hotel. Festival -goers will be entitled to free PCR tests. If a person is positive, they will be immediately isolated in a place provided for this purpose. She will be hospitalized if necessary at the expense of the festival.
Of course, during all projections and other activities, the temperature will be taken, masks will be distributed, physical distancing will be respected and the capacity of all rooms reduced to 50%. The Marriott partner hotel will be fully disinfected, including the rooms, which will also remain unoccupied 48 hours between each client.
Regarding ceremonies, each guest who wishes will be able to have a quick test. On the other hand, all the employees of the festival will necessarily be subject to this test. Similarly, all journalists or other professionals who will participate in the festival will be tested 24 hours before the festival opened.
Neïla Driss
