Cairo International Film Festival 2024

[Chris Knipp]

Cairo resurges

Despite the horrors of the war on Gaza only a little more than 200 miles away, the Cairo International Film Festival is back and runs Nov. 13-22, 2024. The distinguished film critic Deborah Young's introduction can be found in The Film Verdict.

The Return of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF)
- Deborah Young -

The Cairo International Film Festival has taken many different directions in the course of its 45-year history, and one of the thrills of attending this venerable event is to discover where the gentle Nile currents are leading it. Last year they were torrential. The abrupt start of the Israeli-Hamas war and the shock waves of its horrors brought cultural events to a standstill and forced organizers to make the heart-wrenching decision to cancel the festival. It was a stern reminder of Cairo’s central role in the region and the predominance of politics over everything else.

Now, in the face of the war’s escalation, the festival is preparing to host its 45th edition under the new leadership of festival director Essam Zakaria, a well-known film critic, and the continuing presidency of legendary Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy. In his remarks at the festival’s press conference, Fahmy drew attention to “a special tribute to Palestinian cinema, highlighting its rise, resilience, and contributions to the path toward self-determination.” The choice for the opening night film fell on Passing Dreams by leading Palestinian documentary maker Rashid Masharawi. There will be a Palestinian competition section and a jury headed by Prof. Amr El-Leithy, alongside a Gaza Films Awards Jury led by film critic Ahmed Shawky. And undoubtedly much discussion and debate on the war.

[The introduction continues HERE]

FROM GROUND ZERO (multiple directors).
Curated by producer-director Rashid Mashrawi, this is an anthology of 22 short films "offering a rawly immediate and deeply human response to devastation in the Gaza Strip."