The selection committee for the 38^th Cairo International Film Festival, set to take place between 15 and 24 November, has been announced by the festival’s artistic director Youssef Cherif Rizkallah.

The committee, which is due to begin its work today 8 May, comprises a number of prominent Egyptian critics, including Essam Zakaria, Magdi Tayeb, Magda Khairallah, Magda Morris, Hanan Abu Diaa, Khaled Mahmud, Amal El-Gamal, Mohammed Atef, Nihad Ibrahim, Andrew Mohsen, Safa Laithi and Mahmoud El-Ghitani.

According to a press release issued by the festival organisers, a meeting was held with the newly selected committee last week where committee members were informed of “the festival’s regulations, screening times, and their rights and duties as members of the selection committee.”

Minister of Culture Helmy El-Namnam extended in March the appointment of Magda Wassef as president of the festival, and film critic Youssef Cherif Rizkallah as its artistic director.

El-Namnam also chose actor Mahmoud Hemeda as the honorary president of the festival’s upcoming edition.

Hemeda, whose career spans more than three decades, succeeds late iconic actor Omar Sharif, who was appointed to the position in 2006 by former minister of culture Farouk Hosni. 

Hemeda's most recent film, Nawara, in which he stars alongside Menna Shalaby, Sherine Reda and Ahmed Rateb, is currently screening across Egyptian cinemas. The film made its Arab world premiere at the 12th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), where it was one of five Egyptian films competing for the festival's Muhr Awards. Its Egypt premiere was at the opening of the 5th edition of the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF), which ran between 17 and 23 March. 



The 37^th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival ran between 11 and 20 November 2015 and featured a total of 120 films.

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