The 44th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) kicked off on Sunday evening at the Cairo Opera House, Egypt, with the participation of around 108 films from more than 50 countries and regions.
Veteran Egyptian filmmaker Hussein Fahmy, who is also the president of the 44th CIFF, said that holding the festival in the current global context, including the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and the economic recession, was a real challenge.
“There were great challenges and we did our best and managed to get solid and good preparations, and we hope to present a good and successful edition as we always do,” the CIFF president told media on the red carpet at the opening ceremony.
Fahmy added that the festival adopts environmentally friendly policies as it coincides with the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, currently being held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
“We are drastically reducing paper publications and the use of plastic during the festival, and avoiding anything that can harm the environment in order to support COP27,” added the festival president.
The festival’s International Competition category this year features 14 films from countries such as Egypt, France, Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Brazil.
The Fabelmans, by renowned American filmmaker Steven Spielberg, was screened as the opening film of the 44th CIFF.
The festival is honouring Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr, Egyptian filmmaker Kamla Abu Zekry and veteran Egyptian actress Lebleba this year for their achievements throughout their long artistic careers.
Launched in 1976, CIFF is the oldest and only internationally accredited annual film festival in the Arab world, Africa and the Middle East.
This year’s CIFF will take place from 13 to 22 November.
TunisianMonitorOnline
