The 40th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to see what the renowned festival has to offer on its ruby anniversary.
We just attended the press conference of the 40th edition of the CIFF and got all the highlights that every cinema enthusiast in the region needs to know before the festival.
The CIFF is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world and is one of the leading festivals in the whole region. We’ve seen how new local and regional film festivals like EL Gouna Film Festivals sparked the competition to bring the festival to its former glory; presenting a very strong 39th edition last year, with International superstars like Nicolas Cage attending.
The CIFF is going to take place from the 20th till the 29th of November. During the press conference, the President of the Festival, Mohamed Hefzy; the Artistic Director, Youssef Rizkallah; and the Deputy Artistic Director, Ahmed Shawky, dropped a lot of surprises that will guarantee a one of a kind 40th edition.
Hefzy announced that they are working to introduce virtual reality movies and 4k quality movies this year. He also mentioned that there will be a bigger platform for cinema industry called Cairo Industry Days. The Faten Hamama Tribute, to be awarded to the two-times Academy Award Nominee, Ralph Fiennes; Legendary Actor, Hassan Hosny; and distinguished Music Producer, Hesham Nazeeh.
Moreover, this edition will witness two new awards, one that will focus on the fans’ votes and has a prize of USD20,000, and the other will be presented for the best Arabic movie from all the competitions with a prize of USD15,000.
In addition to the normal screening venues of every year, like Zawya and Zamalek Cinema, new venues will be added; including the Cairo Festival City Mall Cinema; making it easier for residents of New Cairo to enjoy the festival. This year, Russia will be the guest country of the festival, with several important Russian movies to be screened during this edition.
The jury of all the different competitions have super interesting members! As one of the International Competition Jury Members is the fan-favorite, Dhafer L’Abidine. One of the Horizon of Arab Cinema Competition Jury is Abu Bakr Shawky, and last but not least, the beautiful Yasmine Raies will be part of the Jury of Cinema of Tomorrow Competition.