Egyptian films are competing in different competitions at the 29th edition of the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia next month, including Yomeddine (Judgement Day) in the feature film competition.

Amid Summer and Winter, which is directed by Shady Fouad, is shortlisted in the short film competition, while Amal, directed by Mohamed Siam, and You Come From Far Away, directed by Amal Ramsis, are competing among the feature documentaries.

“The festival is engaged in favour of Arab and African cinema in which the protagonists are the filmmakers and the real stories of the south of the world,'' the festival's director Nejib Ayed has said.

Nineteen countries are competing in the various competitions, while a total of 206 films from 47 countries will be screened over all at cinemas in Tunis, Sfax, Nabeul, Kasserine and Silana.

The festival was founded in 1966, and this year runs from 3 to 11 November.

This year's festival will pay tribute to four countries on three continents: Iraq and India (Asia), Senegal (Africa) and Brazil (South America).

Yomeddine, which has been selected by the Cinematic Professions Syndicate as Egypt’s hopeful for the Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film category, is gaining prizes and critic appreciation.

Directed by Abu Bakr Shawky and produced by Dina Emam, it competed at the Cannes Film Festival in May, making an impression.

Shawky’s first film Al-Mostaamara (The Colony, 2009), a 15-minute documentary on one of Egypt’s leper colonies, was followed by The Road to Atalia (2010) and Martyr Friday (2011).

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