The 43rd Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), which will be held November 26-December 5, will feature over 100 films from 60 countries, festival organisers told a press conference yesterday.
Spain’s Competencia official (Official Competition, 2021), directed by Mariano Cohen and Gastón Dobrat, has been chosen to open the event.
Official Competition, to be screened for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, is about a pharmaceutical billionaire in his 80s wants to leave his mark in the world by financing a great cinematic work.
Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez star.
The organisers assured that the festival will be held with all precautionary measures in accordance with the guidelines of the Egyptian government and the World Health Organisation to ensure the safety of all involved.
Earlier, the festival announced that Serbian director Emir Kusturica will lead the International Competition Jury of the 43rd CIFF.
Kusturica is one of the world’s most prominent filmmakers, whose films have won awards from major international festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival where he won the Palme d’Or twice.
The festival has also partnered with Netflix to host the 4th Cairo Industry Days (CID) in partnership with the Arab Cinema Centre.
CID is slated for 1-5 December at Cairo Opera House.
Masterclasses, workshops, and panels with Netflix Executives and Netflix Arabic series producers and cast during CID will exploretopics related to the Arab entertainment industry and share lessons and best practices with Arab talent.
One of Netflix’s most notable feature during CID will be the 2nd ‘Because She Created’, an initiative to provide women filmmakers and talents a platform and to bring to light the evolution of women’s roles in Arab entertainment.
The Cairo International Film Festival is one of the oldest and most attended festivals in the Arab world and Africa and is the only festival in theregion to be accorded category ‘A’ status by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations in Paris (FIAPF).
