The Cairo International Film Festival has just announced the opening of registrations for films wishing to participate in the 43rd edition of the Festival to be held from December 1 to 10, 2021.
Submissions around the world will be received until August 31, 2021 via The official festival website For long and short films as well as via “Film Freeway” for short films only.
The producer and president of the festival, Mohamed Hefzy, said that the concentration of Arab festivals over a period of only two months towards the end of the year made this edition more difficult than in previous years. Given the strong competition for the first in the most important Arab and international films region, the artistic team began working last February to obtain some of the most important films of the year, aimed at selecting a hundred films for the various festival sections and competitions.
Regarding the challenges linked to the Cavid pandemic, Mohamed Hefzy expressed his optimism as to the holding of the 43rd edition in safer circumstances. The efforts of countries around the world, including Egypt, to distribute the vaccine to their populations should result in an improvement in the current state of the pandemic and a relaxation of the restrictions imposed by the virus, in particular with regard to travel, the opening of performance halls and gatherings.
He notably said: ” Just as we had not lost hope last year and had successfully organized the festival, we will not lose hope this year either. We will do our best to organize a safer and artistically superior edition, while respecting all the health measures and regulations set by the Egyptian government and the World Health Organization ».
During the 42nd edition, 95 films representing more than 40 countries had been selected, including 20 worldwide and/or international. The program also included the first Men of films The Father and Nomadlandwhich won five Oscars this year (best actor and best scenario suitable for The Father And best film, best director and best actress for Nomadland).
The festival has honored, in its 42nd edition, three striking figures of cinema. Two had received the Golden Pyramid Award honorary for the whole of their careers: The renowned author, Wahid Hamed and the British author and director awarded at Oscars, Christopher Hampton who lived part of his childhood in Egypt between the cities of Alexandria and Suez. The third winner was the superstar Mona Zaki who received the Faten Hamama Excellence Award.
The Cairo International Film Festival is the oldest annual international festival in the Middle East and North Africa and the only accredited in category A by the International Federation of Film Producers in Paris (FIAPF), alongside 14 other festivals organizing international competitions.
According to press release.
