Last night, the 45th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), inaugurated on November 12, bowed out during a closing ceremony presided over by actor Hussein Fahmy. In an atmosphere imbued with solemnity and emotion, many artists and cinema professionals were present to celebrate the diversity and richness of the seventh art.
The evening started with the Egyptian national anthem, followed by reading the poem “On this earth, there is what deserves life” From the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich, a particularly poignant moment. The Palestinian troupe Watan of popular artsalready ovationed during the opening ceremony, then offered a vibrant Dabka service, a symbol of renewed support for the Palestinian cause. Hussein Fahmy, at the center of this solidarity, thanked this troop coming straight from Gaza for their presence, thus highlighting the challenges they had to overcome to participate in this event. He also insisted on the importance of art to express human accounts and universal struggles.
In his speech, the president of the festival said: ” On this earth, there is what deserves life, and cinema is one of the most powerful ways to tell the stories of those who deserve to live. This edition, through its films and guests, has highlighted art as a vector of humanity, resistance and memory. »»
This solidarity towards Palestine and Lebanon, omnipresent throughout this edition, manifested itself through projections, debates, and the presence of many Palestinian and Lebanese artists. She also reflected in the charts: no less than 12 prizes and mentions for Palestinian and Lebanese films, including 3 prices and a mention for the overwhelming documentary A State of Passion. This film tells the story of the British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah, faced with horror in the Hospitals of Gaza under bombing.
The Lebanese film Arzéwho follows a single mother and her son in a desperate quest through Beirut, was also greeted with two prizes.
Egyptian cinema has also established itself among the big winners of this edition. Spring Came on Laughinga poignant feature in four stories exploring the secrets buried behind laughter, anger and disputes, won three prizes. In addition, the documentary Abu Zaabal 89 was crowned for his intimate and political exploration of the relationship between a son and his militant parents, reflecting the complexity of recent Egyptian history.
These films, mixing collective memory and personal stories, captivated the public and the jury by their ability to mix resilience, pain and hope.
This edition was also marked by a beautiful Tunisian presence, starting with actress Aïcha Ben Ahmed, who shone as a member of the jury of the prestigious international competition, confirming her status as a rising icon of Arab cinema. Lamia Guiga, Director of the National Center for Cinema and Image (CNCI) and artist director of Carthage Cinematographic Days (JCC), represented Tunisia in the Jury of African films, testifying to the country’s commitment to the promotion of cinema on the continent.
Two Tunisian films were also highlighted: The Bridge,, by Walid Maatar, presented in the Horizons of Arab cinema competition, and Nawar Achiyafirst feature film by Khédija Lemkacher, projected worldwide in international competition. Although these works did not win a price, they reinforced the presence of Tunisian cinema in the two major sections of this 45th edition.
At the end of this ceremony, all the guests and the members of the festival team moved to Nile Ritz Carlton for an after-party hosted by the Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny. He interpreted several of his successes and songs from cinema, including the famous “Ya wad ya tqil”taken from the film of the same title with Souad Husny and Hussein Fahmy in the main roles. The latter, hilarious in front of this friendly wink, marked this festive evening with a touch of nostalgia and good humor.
Complete list of the 45th International Cairo Film Festival
International competition:
- Gold Pyramid – Best Movie (given to the producer):
Movie : The New Year That Never Came
Director: Bogdan Mureșanu
Country : Romania
- Silver pyramid – special jury price (Better achievement)
Director: Natalia Nazarova
Movie : Postmarks
Country : Russia
- Bronze pyramid- best first or second film:
Director: Pedro Freire
Movie : Male
Country : Brazil
- Naguib Mahfouz Prize – Best scenario:
Movie : Vittoria
Directors and screenwriters: Alessandro Cassigoli, Casey Kauffman
Country : Italy
- Best actor (two exaks)
Actor : Lee Kang Sheng
Movie : Blue Sun Palace
Director: Constance Tsang
Country : UNITED STATES
Actor : Maxim Stoyanov
Movie : Postmarks
Director: Natalia Nazarova
Country : Russia
Special mention: Alina Khojevanova
Movie : Postmarks
Director: Natalia Nazarova
Country : Russia
Actress: Yara de Novaes
Movie : Male
Director: Pedro Freire
Country : Brazil
- Henry barakat prize- Best artistic contribution (two exaEquo prizes):
Director: NECMI SANCAK
Movie : Ayse
Country : Türkiye
Director: Noha Adel
Movie : Spring Came Laughing
Country : Egypt
International criticism prize (FIPRESCI)
Movie : Spring Came Laughing
Director: Noha Adel
Country : Egypt
Horizons of Arabic cinema
- Prix Saad Eldin Wahba- Best Arab film ($ 10,000):
Producers: Carol Mansour, Muna Khalidi
Movie : A State of Passion
Country : Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, United Kingdom, Kuwait
- Price Salah Abu Seif – Best achievement ($ 7,000):
Movie : Spring Came Laughing
Director: Noha Adel
Country : Egypt
- Prix Youssef Sherif Rezkallah- Best scenario ($ 6,000):
Movie : Arzé
Director: Mira Shaib
Scriptwriters: Louay Khraish, Faissal Sam Shaib
Country : Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
- Best actor ($ 2,000)
Actor : Mohamed Khouyi
Movie : The Blue Lake
Director: Daoud Aoulad-Syad
Country : Morocco
- Best actress ($ 2,000)
Actress: Diamand bou Abboud
Movie : Arzé
Director: Mira Shaib
Country : Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
International criticism
- Shadi Abdel Salam Prix- Best Movie:
Director: Agathe Rieddinger
Movie : Wild Diamond
Country : France
- Fathy Farag Prize – Special Jury Prize
Movie : Simon of the Mountain
Director: Federico Luis
Country : Argentina
Movie : Abu Zaabal 89
Director: Bassam Mortada
Country : Egypt
Short films
Movie : David
Directors: Kai Xue, Hong Jiexi
Country : China
Movie: The Last Dismissal
Director: JOWAHER ALAMRI
Country : Saudi Arabia, Egypt
Movie: The Mother and the Bear
Director: Yasmina El Kamaly
Country : Egypt
Best African Long Film Prize
Movie : Dahomey
Director: Mati Diop
Country : France, Senegal, Benin
Award for the Asia-Pacific Cinema Promotion Network (NetPac)
Movie : Brief History of A Family
Director: Lin Jianjie
Country : China, France, Denmark, Qatar
Prix of the Union of Ohi Broadcasts to a Palestinian film
Movie : Square kilometer Dreams
Director: Qassam Sbeih
Country : Palestine
Movie : A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour, Muna Khalidi
Country : Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, United Kingdom, Kuwait
Movie : Passing Dreams
Director: Rashid Masharawi
Country : Palestine, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, France
- Special mentions:
- Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta, surgeon in Gaza
- Rashid Masharawi (Palestinian director)
- The Deer’s Tooth from Saif Hammash
Prix Youssef Chahine (MIF)
- Three short films among the 22 short films in the film “Ground zero” ($ 1,000 each)
- Soft skin (Khamis Masharawi))
- No signal (Muhammad Al Sharif))
- A School Day (Ahmed al Danaf))
Documentary feature film competition
Movie : Abu Zaabal 89
Director: Bassam Mortada
Country : Egypt, Germany
Movie : A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour, Muna Khalidi
Country : Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, United Kingdom, Kuwait
