Official sources at the Cairo International Film Festival CIFF, which launches on Tuesday 27 November, said that the Syrian Film El Asheq (Lover) has been disqualified from the CIFF competition because of the lead actor's and director's support for Syria's current ruler Bashar El-Assad.

The sources said that the management of the festival confirmed that the film's director Abdul Latif Abdul Hamid has expressed his support of the Syrian regime despite the suffering of the Syrian people through daily massacres by the Syrian forces.

The festival management was not aware of these attitudes when the film was submitted although it received objections from some of the other participants but took this decision when claims were confirmed.

Al Asheq was supposed to compete in the Human Rights Film category competition; and with its disqualification, only one film by director Hala Abdullah remains in the contest.