Tonight opens the 40th Edition of the Cairo Film International Film Festival (CIFF) which will take place from November 20 to 29, 2018. It will be chaired by the producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzythe youngest president of the history of the festival.
Founded in 1976, the CIFF, despite all the obstacles and challenges that have marked its existence, it is the only festival in the Middle East to have reached such a number of editions!
For this 40th Edition, a great effort was made on the one hand to insist on the international side of the festival and open it even more on the world and on the other hand so that it can interest both a large audience and professionals.
The whole festival team worked for months to select 160 films from 59 different countries, to enchant and entertain a very large audience. Moreover, the projections of this year will exceed the opera and city center site and will go to other districts such as Zamalek, October 6 and the 5th group.
Another novelty of this new edition is the public price. This price will be equipped with $ 20,000 which will be shared equally between the director and the distributor of the film that the public will have chosen and loved.
As for professionals, they will be able to participate in the launch of the first edition of the Cairo Industry Days Platform (Platform of Cairo Industry Days), which will take place for 5 days, and which will include several activities aimed at strengthening Egyptian and Arabic cinema. Professionals will also be able to compete with their films in Pré or Post Production as part of the Cairo Film Connection Forum to try to win the price of $ 110,000.
Conferences, panels, masters classes and other activities will also take place during this edition in order to allow professionals to meet, exchange and know each other.
As in previous years, four competitions will be organized:
– International official competition:
Jury members, chaired by the Danish director Bille August, one of the rare people to have received the Palme d’Or twice, are the Tunisian actor Dhafer the Abdine, the actress Kazakh Samal Yeslyamoa, the brilliant Philippin director Mendoza, the Lebanese actress Diamand Bou Abboud (she was also a member of Jury to JUC 2018), Argentinian producer Juan Viera, Belgian actress Natacha Régnier, Egyptian director Hala Khalil and Italian director Francesco Munzi.
Among the fourteen films in competition: Manta Ray (Thailand) produced by Phottiphong Aroongheng, Euphoria (Italy) Directed by Valeria Golino and Ext/night (Egypt) directed by Ahmad Abdallah.
– The Horizon competition of Arabic cinema:
The three members of the jury are the Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky (director of the film Yomeddine), the director Palestinian producer Muhammed Keblawi and the Tunisian actress Aicha Ben Ahmed.
Eight films in competition (7 fictions and 1 documentary) coming from Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Among these films, Fatwa by Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud (Tanit d’Or at JCC 2018) and Kilo 64 of the Egyptian Amir El Shennawy. The opening film of this section will be “Amra and the second marry” Saudi Mahmoud Sabbagh, in the first in the Middle East and North Africa region.
– International Critics’ Week:
The members of the jury are criticism Amy Nicholson, the Egyptian director Muhammed Hammad and the Moroccan Ahmed Al Hosny, president of the Festival of the Mediterranean film of Tetouan.
The seven films that will be screened form a panorama of young filmmakers with various styles of narration. Among the films in competition, The giraffe (Egypt) by Ahmed Magdy and Pity (Greece) by Babis Makridis.
– The cinema of tomorrow:
The members of the jury are the Algerian director Karim Moussaoui, the Egyptian actress Yasmin Raees and the German Cathy de Haan, coordinator at the Berlin festival.
20 short films that represent the voices of young filmmakers from around the world.
In addition to these four competitions, a new price worth $ 15,000 has been created this year: the price for the best Arab film. Contribute to all the Arab films of all competitions. The members of the jury who will award this award are the German critic Klaus Eder, the Egyptian director Ayten Amin and the Tunisian producer Nadim Cheikhrouha.
The opening film of this 40th edition will be Green Book(USA) directed by Peter Farrely, with in the main roles Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardinelli.
Fourteen films will be screened in an official out -of -competition selection, such as Ayka (Kazak/Russia) in the presence of its director Sergei Dvortessevoy and the main actress Samal Yeslyamova who won the prize for best actress during the last edition of the Cannes Film Festival, Unexpected love (Argentina) which will also be projected in the presence of its director Juan Vera and the main actress Mercedes Moran.
Are also part of this selection, the Netflix film Romadirected by the Mexican Alfonso Cuaron, who won the Golden Lion at the Venice Festival and was described by criticisms as one of the most important films of the year, the Swedish film Border From Ali Abbas, who won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the American film Blackkklansman by Spike Lee who won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Philippin film Alpha, the right to killwhich won the jury prize at the San Sébastian festival. This film is directed by brilliant Mendoza, which will give a conference after the projection for the public and the cinema students.
Another novelty of this 40th edition: a gala projection each evening, in the presence of stars.
In addition to all these films, 55 other among the most important films in the world in 2018 will be on the program of the Panorama International section.
A new section will be inaugurated this year: midnight projections. Each evening at midnight, a horror, science fiction or suspense film will be screened at the Zamālek cinema.
The purpose of this new section is to enrich the festival supply and meet the demand of lovers of this kind of cinema. Among the films of this section, Dachra (Tunisia) by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, who had closed the Venice Festival, and Destroy (USA), by Karyn Kusama, with Nicole Kidman in an unusual role.
This 40th Edition of the CIFF will pay tribute to women by programming nine films of Arab directors recognized internationally. These directors will animate a panel on their profession. Among them, the Palestinian Annemarie Jacir, the Algerian Sofia Djama, the Tunisian Khaouther Ben Hania and the Egyptians Hala Khalil and Hala Lotfy.
A focus will be devoted to Russian cinema.
The festival will also celebrate the centenary of the great Egyptian director Ihsan Abdel Qoddos. Four of his films that have been recently restored, will be screened. A book dedicated to it will be distributed.
The CIFF will also pay several tributes. The Honorary Prize Faten Hamama will be awarded to the British actor Ralph Fiennes, twice nominated for the Oscars for his roles in the films The English patient and the list of Schindler. Ralph Fiennes will animate a master’s degree and will be present during the projection of The White Crowwhich he achieved and in which he plays a role.
It should be noted that the Minister of Tourism will take Ralph Fiennes to visit the archaeological sites of Cairo. It is assumed that this time also, as it does each time that Egypt receives a brand guest, it will take photos and floods the social networks. Nice advertisement for Egypt! A festival is also used!
The second Prix Faten Hamama will be awarded to the Egyptian actor Hassan Hosny, in tribute to his long career (50) in the cinema, the theater and on television.
The price of excellence Faten Hammama will be awarded, for the first time, to a composer: Hisham Nazih.
To celebrate its 40th edition, the CIFF has instructed a young researcher in history Moheb Gameel, to edit a book that will cover the important events of the previous editions, with archive documents, photographs … without forgetting the exhibition that devoted to the 42 years of the festival which will retrace the most important stages of the 42 years of age of the festival and its impact on the artistic, cultural and social level.
Good luck to this 40th Edition of the Cairo International Film Festival and its new team!
Neila Driss
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