For the first time in more than a decade, the Cairo Film Festival will be open for business.
Now we start with 45y In this edition, the Egyptian event has remained a major cultural and artistic showcase for the region and the wider MENA world – but Cairo has remained without a market since that component was destroyed following the country’s 2011 revolution.
Soon, all this is about to change.
“This is the best time to relaunch the market, because the entire Egyptian industry desperately needs it,” says Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rahim, head of industry in Cairo. “Many of our filmmakers and technicians are now finding work in Saudi Arabia, so we want to bring more projects to Egypt and involve more filmmakers from abroad.”
Held as part of Cairo Film Industry Days, the streamlined and refreshed Cairo Market is scheduled to open on November 15 and will feature primarily Egyptian, Saudi and Chinese companies, welcoming all with a primary focus on building bridges.
“We are seeking to fill some gaps,” says technical director Issam Zakaria. “We cannot liken this to the Cannes or Berlin markets, so perhaps it is better to call it a meeting point. “We are trying to drive cooperation between the Egyptian, Arab and international film industries by bringing all these people together to meet and discuss co-production opportunities.”
“Escape from the 21st century”
Cairo Film Festival
In an effort to make better use of this platform, the eight participating companies will issue daily announcements highlighting new projects, initiatives and collaborations, while market organizers will highlight a number of startups that connect cinema and technology. In order to expand, the film market will build on Cairo’s existing partnerships with festivals in Durban and Beijing, while looking to attract visiting delegations from European industry.
Welcoming international shoots will be a major touchstone. While the festival screens recent locally shot films such as Tamer Rogli’s “Return to Alexandria” and Neil Berger’s “Inheritance” as part of the Made in Egypt showcase, delegates from the Egyptian Film Commission will be present to promote the country’s benefits. Production infrastructure.
Above all, event coordinator Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rahim hopes to guide Cairo Film Industry Days delegates more broadly – and subsequently, Cairo Film Festival invitees – towards greater market participation in the coming years.
“Cairo has a much larger audience than most other festivals,” he says. “Thousands of people come every day to watch films, thousands of industry people come to Egypt (so we can facilitate access) with many, many industry professionals who are interested in Arab cinema and filmmakers… so now we are trying to connect everyone with each other in order to make This market is more productive for everyone.
It is held in conjunction with the Cairo Film Forum film market. Now enter number 10y The Cairo Industry Days initiative welcomes international financiers, producers and sales agents to help assist projects in need of development and completion support. This year’s program showcases 18 titles from across the MENA region – representing an overall increase in sections.
“To celebrate a decade of supporting Arab filmmakers, we have chosen to include one additional project per category in this year’s edition,” Rodrigo Brom, director of the upcoming Cairo Film Forum, said in a statement.
“This expansion reflects not only the high quality of the applications, but also the diversity of ideas and creative styles that embody the current dynamics of Arab cinema, both within the region and in the diaspora. Together with our partners and sponsors, we look forward to an exceptional and festive edition.”
Of the 18 projects selected for this year’s session, six of them originate from Egypt, with Tunisia, Iraq and Lebanon each submitting two projects alongside individual projects from Kuwait, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco and Algeria.
Previous winners include Amjad Al-Rasheed’s “God Willing A Boy,” which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2023, and Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Four Girls,” which won the Ciel d’Or at Cannes and was nominated for Best A documentary at the Oscars earlier. this year.