CAIRO – The 8th edition of the Cairo International Monodrama Days Festival opened at the Open-Air Theatre of the Cairo Opera House, welcoming delegations from more than 11 Arab and international countries.
Organized under the presidency of Osama Raouf, founder and director of the festival, the event celebrated distinguished artists from Egypt and the Arab world in recognition of their lasting contributions to the performing arts.
Honorees included veteran Egyptian actor Abdelaziz Makhyoun, acclaimed actress Hala Sedqi, and the late actor Lotfi Labib, who was remembered through a special short documentary titled “The Joker”. His daughter, Maristine Labib, received the award on his behalf.
The festival also paid tribute to the late Kuwaiti artist Abdulaziz Al-Haddad, with Kuwaiti actor Nassar Al-Nassar accepting the honor, and to renowned Tunisian director Anouar Chaafi, whose award was received by Doha Al-Shuwaikh, Cultural Counsellor at the Tunisian Embassy in Cairo.
In his opening remarks, Raouf welcomed guests and expressed his gratitude to Minister of Culture Ahmed Fouad Hanno for his patronage of the festival.
He also thanked the various departments within the Ministry of Culture for their support, which enabled the successful launch of the festival’s 8th edition.
Raouf stressed that the festival has become an important cultural and artistic platform that continues to attract regional and international attention each year.
The ceremony also featured a video message from Simon Brook, son of the late legendary British theatre director Peter Brook, who was originally scheduled to attend the festival’s tribute marking the centenary of his father’s birth.
In his message, Brook thanked Raouf and the organizing committee for honoring his father’s legacy.
