According to the new president of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), film star Hussein Fahmy, over the last few years the festival has cemented its position as one of the most distinguished platforms in the film industry of the region.
“The question that I started with is where should we go from this point, what should be the next step,” he said.
Cinema as a cultural bridge in a time of war, preserving Egyptian cinematic legacy through a long-term project of film restoration, and protecting the environment are the three main points of focus in the 44th CIFF (13-22 November).
In this context, three newly restored Egyptian films will be part of this year’s programme, and one of this year’s panels is entitled, “Green filming: how can film productions be more environmentally friendly on-screen and behind the camera?”
For his part Amir Ramses, the new artistic director, said his appointment feels like a huge responsibility: “Long ago, as a young cinema fan, this festival introduced me to world cinema, and later as a filmmaker two of my films were screened in its program. Perhaps my appointment to a position led by major critics and filmmakers, on top of which is my mentor, the late curator Youssef Sharif Rizkallah, is a way to give back and pay my respects to an institution that made me the filmmaker I am today.”
According to Ramses, this year’s program of film screenings is full of important international and Arab films, including world premieres, and those films that have been recognised at world film festivals. “Our ambition is to approach the festival’s diverse audience, and for the festival to be a platform that celebrates various films without being closed to one aspect of cinema.”
This year the Golden Pyramid Award for a lifetime’s achievement goes to both the renowned Hungarian film director, producer, and screenwriter Béla Tarr, and the renowned Egyptian film actress, singer and entertainer Lebleba. The Faten Hamama Excellence Award goes to the Egyptian prominent film director Kamla Abu Zekry.
Béla Tarr will also give a masterclass to be moderated by the Egyptian film director Ahmed Abdalla, which following the screening of Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies (2000). Tarr will discuss his film directing methodology and choices. Tarr’s melancholy approach in most of his films is emphasised by black and white, and slow long-shot scenes. His realistic approach is achieved by having his films headlined mostly by non-professional actors, which adds to the philosophical outlook that marks his outstanding repertoire.
The renowned Hungarian filmmaker will also mentor a filmmaking workshop, which is a nine-day exploration into the language of cinema. The workshop targets young filmmakers who are looking to expand their directing skills. Béla Tarr will propose a theme from which the participating filmmakers are to adapt and develop a scene. From that point he will mentor one-on-one each filmmaker as they work towards shooting their short, one-page scene.
With its celebration of world cinema through a program full of premieres and critically acclaimed international fare, this year’s festival features new Egyptian films in all competitions and sections as well.
Egyptian films include B 19, a world premiere by Ahmad Abdallah. The film tells the story of an old guard who lives in a dilapidated villa, watching over an abandoned house which he considers his home, who is suddenly encroached on by a young park attendant, forcing him to face his fears.
Another Egyptian world premiere is Far From the Nile by Sherief Elkatsha, which will open the Horizons of Arab Cinema competition. The film is about 12 musicians from 11 countries along the Nile using music as a model to collaborate across borders. On a tour of the United States, their message of unity is put to the test.
This is in addition to the international premiere of Light Upon Light by Christian Suhr which will be screened in the International Critics’ Week Competition. The film is a philosophical field trip from Cairo, along the Nile and into the desert in search for what light means as a religious concept.
Egyptian films in the shorts competition include From the Work of the Devil by Dessil Mekhtigian, where after 10 years a young woman returns to Cairo to organise an exhibition on the pioneer Armenian photographers who archived Egypt through time.
During preparations, the surroundings make her realise the reason behind her return; The Interview by Hind Metwalli, where a young woman has to choose between looking after her suicidally depressed mother, and attending a job interview which could change her life and allow her to provide for her family; Mama by Naji Ismail, about a 21-year-old girl who is hiding a terrifying secret to protect herself and her brother.
In addition there is also the MENA premiere of My Girlfriend by Kawthar Younis, which had its world premiere at the Venice international Film Festival. It is about Ali, desperate for intimacy, following his girlfriend’s suggestion that puts their relationship to the test. The plan unfolds unexpectedly when gender roles become blurred.
Cairo Classics, a new section for Egyptian and international films, was introduced this year. It includes three Egyptian restored classics: The Choice (1970) by Youssef Chahine, which tells the story of how, when a worker on Alexandria’s waterfront is found murdered, his well-connected writer twin brother becomes the prime suspect; The Diary of a Deputy in t he Countryside (1969) by Tawfik Saleh, which is about Qamar who dies after being shot, and the last word he utters is the name of his sister in law Reem, the only witness.
After her arrest, her beauty draws the attention of the prosecutor, and she succeeds in escaping from the warden’s house; and A Song On The Passage (1972) by Ali Abdel Khaleq, set during the 1967 war when communications are cut between a group of soldiers on a passage in the desert and the command centre. They try to survive despite enemy attacks and lack of supplies.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 20 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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