Sahl Hasheesh, a popular Egyptian tourist destination, will host first round of the Hurghada Asian Film Festival with the participation of 35 countries in October.

Critic and festival director Mohammed Qenawi said in a statement received by the German news agency DPA that the festival has received films from 35 Asian countries so far, including from famous and award-winning film schools with a presence in international festivals, and with Russia, China, India, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia and the Philippines at the forefront.

The festival's director added that the first round sees the participation of 12 Arab countries, namely, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt.

A special tribute to films by world-renowned Japanese director Akira Kurosawa will be organised during the festival in cooperation with the Japan Foundation in Cairo. Six of Kurosawa’s films will be screened, based on plays by Shakespeare and novels by Russian writer Dostoyevsky.