The most important details of the 47th Cairo International Film Festival

Details of the 47th session of the Cairo International Film Festival were announced at a press conference held in the Egyptian capital on Sunday, chaired by the artist Hussein Fahmy, president of the festival, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of its first session in 1976.

The Cairo International Film Festival revealed a poster for its 47th session, which will be held between 11 and 20 November. The design bears a basic image, which is a snapshot of the late artist Shadia, “recovering an image from the history of cinema with its clarity and vitality,” and “surrounded by scenes that overlap as if they were fleeting memories from different cinematic times,” according to the festival’s organizers.

The design celebrates “the legacy of Egyptian cinema and its extended memory, and highlights the role of preserving and restoring cinematic heritage in inspiring new generations of filmmakers.”

The poster bears a reference to the importance of restoring Egyptian classic films, to which the festival has given special attention in recent years. Artist Hussein Fahmy said: “We wanted this session’s poster to express the living relationship between cinema’s past and its future. Every image we restore clarity to, and every film we give a new opportunity to show, opens a window on a time and a human experience, and may become a source of inspiration for a young director or writer searching for his first story. Restoration, for us, is a cultural and creative work that reconnects generations, and gives cinematic works the ability to continue their influence.”

In this context, it was announced that 27 restored films from the classics of Egyptian cinema will be screened within the activities of the upcoming 47th session of the Cairo International Film Festival, released between the years 1958 and 1973, including: “Woman on the Road” by director Ezz El-Din Zulfikar, “Cairo 30” and “The Second Wife” by director Salah Abu Seif, “Qasr Al-Shouq”, “Bein Al-Qasrain” and “Shafiqa Al-Qibtiya” by director Hassan. Al-Imam, “My Mirror, General Manager” by director Fateen Abdel Wahab, “Khan Al-Khalili” and “We Are the Students” by director Atef Salem, “Idol of the Masses” by director Helmy Rafla, “Something of Fear”, “The Impossible” and “Al-Bostaji” by director Hussein Kamal, “The Forbidden” by director Henry Barakat, and “The People and the Nile” by director Youssef Chahine.

In its 47th session, the Cairo International Film Festival honors Egyptian director of photography Saeed Shimi, Egyptian screenwriter Medhat El Adl, Mauritanian director Abdel Rahman Sissako, and Italian director Matteo Garrone, with the “Golden Pyramid Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Egyptian artist Aser Yassin will be honored with the “Faten Hamama Award for Excellence,” and the festival also announced a special honor for Lebanese film distributor Antoine Zand, as “one of the most prominent pioneers in film distribution in Egypt and the Arab world.”

The Cairo International Film Festival revealed the participation of 145 films and cinematic works from 64 countries and production destinations in the activities of its 47th session, within a program that includes 17 world premieres, 5 international premieres, and 87 premieres in the Arab world region.

The upcoming edition of the festival will witness the launch of the “Cairo Children’s Cinema” program for the first time.