The 26th edition of the Ismailia International Festival for Documentary and Short Films (IIFDSF) takes place from 5 to 11 February and this year is led by filmmaker and producer Hala Galal, who serves as its president, becoming the first woman to hold this role in nearly three decades.
Organised annually by the National Cinema Centre under the auspices of Egypt’s Ministry of Culture, the festival is one of the oldest in the region. It is known for its focus on documentary and short films, offering an important platform for distinctive artistic works and supporting emerging filmmakers.
Hala Galal is a director, writer, and producer who co-founded the production organisation Semat, which aimed at supporting young independent filmmakers. She managed the company for ten years, producing over 100 documentaries and short films that were shown at local and international festivals.
She also served as president of the Arab-European Cinema Caravan Festival for three years and was instrumental in starting free film workshops in Egypt. She was the artistic director of the Aswan Women’s Film Festival for one year and founded the Film Forum project, part of both the Aswan and El Gouna festivals for two years.
Some of her notable documentaries include Thorns and Women’s Talk, which won the Silver Award at the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival. Her latest film, From Cairo, won Best Documentary in the Arab Competition at the Cairo International Film Festival.
In the early 1990s, the Ismailia Festival became a bold voice in Egyptian and Arab cinema. For young filmmakers and film students, including Galal and her classmates at the Higher Institute of Cinema, the festival provided a rare space for alternative, experimental, and independent voices, offering a contrast to the more commercial side of Egypt’s film scene. Galal recalls the 1990s as the festival’s “golden days.”
She explains that the Ismailia International Festival for Documentary and Short Films began with great ambition in the late 1980s, founded by the respected critic and documentary filmmaker Hashem Al-Nahas, and gained international recognition in the early 1990s. Despite years of interruption, it was revived in the early 2000s by critic Ali Abu Shadi.
“We were still students, trying to find our voice in an industry dominated by certain trends. The Ismailia Festival felt like an oasis for us, a place that celebrated personal expression, freedom of speech, and creative independence, away from the limited opportunities faced by many filmmakers,” Galal explains.
She points out that before her generation only a few female filmmakers, women like Inas Al-Degheidy, Asmaa Al-Bakri, and Nadia Hamza, broke through the industry’s barriers. But for her generation Ismailia offered a chance to chart a new path. “It felt like a festival for youth and those on the margins. Its reputation spread across the Arab world, attracting filmmakers from Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia, Syria, the UAE, and beyond. We’ve always been drawn to this Festival, volunteering, contributing to its success, and staying connected to it throughout our careers. It holds a special place in our hearts,” she adds.
Galal explains that Ismailia was always more than just another film festival: it was a space for independent voices, different from other venues in Egypt. “At the time, documentary filmmaking was seen as a symbol of resistance and a way to capture reality. The festival was shaped by pioneers who were deeply committed to documentary cinema, which was viewed as a tool for exposing the truth,” she says.
She also mentions the significance of Ismailia as the festival’s home, not just as a counter to the centralisation of culture in Cairo but also because of the historical and symbolic importance of the Suez Canal cities.
“These cities have long represented resilience against colonialism, and for us the festival was a way to escape the formalities and restrictions of the capital and find our own cinematic voice,” Galal explains.
“Even though our ideas and dreams may not have been the same as those of the founding generation, we shared their passion and belief in the festival’s importance. Each of us saw it as a space for self-expression, shaped by our own artistic visions and aspirations.”
Galal’s vision for the festival has been shaped by its history and her own experiences. “Supporting local films is crucial, especially since there are no platforms for documentary films or market structures for short films. Egypt lacks a state-funded film support system. If festivals can create opportunities for filmmakers to connect with producers and distributors, it would be a big achievement,” she explains.
INNOVATION
This year, the Ismailia Festival Film Forum was added to the regular programme to support and develop new films.
Despite financial challenges, Galal remains focused on revitalising the festival. “We face difficulties with the economy and a limited budget, but we’re finding solutions to keep the festival vital for documentary and short films and a platform for filmmakers to bring their projects to life,” she says.
“There’s no shortage of talented filmmakers,” Galal says. “We’ve worked with Egyptian production companies, convincing them to support the festival. We’ve secured LE300,000 in funding so far from seven companies.”
Galal adds that her goal is to create a model that aligns with the festival’s vision. “I hope this role continues to evolve, regardless of who manages it. The Ministry of Culture is committed to supporting Egyptian cinema, but Egyptian cinema is not just about feature films. It includes fiction, documentary, short films, animation, and experimental films.”
“Cinema should also not be confined to Cairo – filmmakers across Egypt need opportunities. This has always been the case, and our cinematic heritage shows that,” she says.
This perspective has shaped the festival’s training workshops. One key initiative is the “Cinema as a Memory of Place” workshop, organised by the National Organisation for Urban Harmony and Al-Ismailia for Real Estate Investment. It consists of two parts: the first part, held before the festival, engaged third-year art and media students in creating short documentaries on identity and spatial memory. Led by filmmakers and supervised by Sherif Fathi, the three-day workshop was open to students across Egypt, with films produced in Cairo.
The second part, to be held during the festival in Ismailia, focuses on film project development for young filmmakers from the Suez Canal cities. Led by director Taghreed Al-Asfouri, this phase guides participants in developing their projects. Both workshops offer grants to support films exploring the link between cinema, memory, and place.
Galal stresses that Ismailia currently lacks an active cinema scene, and her goal is to revive one. “Cinema once thrived in this city, but today, it has faded. However, the passion for cinema is still alive among the city’s youth. Many of them dream of learning the craft and using it as a medium for self-expression, but they have no resources to help them pursue this path,” she says.
In addition to the training workshops, Hala explains that this year’s festival includes several programmes and seminars “designed around topics we want to discuss openly as filmmakers, critics, historians, and those interested in the industry,” she says.
One seminar topic, for example, is subjective cinema through documentary films and how this was once forbidden. Directors were once not allowed to express their personal feelings in their films, but that has now changed.
“We saw this in films that broke taboos, such as those by Nadia Kamel, Kawthar Younis, Marianne Khoury, Amr Bayoumi, Bassam Mortada, and Ahmed Nabil. This marks a different direction from films like Building the Dam and October War. The older generations of documentary filmmakers weren’t wrong, but they didn’t allow themselves to express their personal feelings in their films. This was connected to ideology and the time at which they were working. Today, we believe every individual’s voice matters because the collective voice is made up of individual voices. These are the kinds of topics we want to discuss openly,” Galal explains.
Another seminar is “Cinema Outside the Capital,” a project by the Goethe Institute managed by director Yasser Naeem. This project has overseen film production in several governorates, including Minya and Assiut. “When we talk about Egyptian cinema, it shouldn’t only focus on Cairo-based comedy films for a specific audience. That’s not fair. The goal of this session is for the people of Ismailia to learn more about this project, and perhaps create their own projects or join it. I believe festivals are an opportunity to inspire,” she adds.
A further seminar, “Cinema Beyond the News,” features filmmakers from Syria, Palestine, Yemen, and Sudan. They aim to discuss how they made their films under difficult circumstances, how these films are artistic, and how they stand out from the news. Among the participants are Lebanese director Eliane Raheb, producer Hanna Atallah, and writer and producer Layali Badr.
Hala Galal is particularly proud of the “A Look at History” programme, which she says is not about nostalgia but inspiration. “We don’t look at the past as better, but we see it as a sign of progress. Our great heritage means we’ve come halfway, and it motivates us to keep moving forward,” she explains.
The programme includes screenings of films from the National Centre for Cinema archive that have never been shown before, highlighting the work of Egypt’s documentary pioneers.
THIS YEAR
This year’s edition of the festival honours Egyptian and Arab documentary filmmakers, including Egyptian director and visual artist Ali Al-Ghazouli, known as the “poet of documentary cinema,” Lebanese director Nabiha Lotfy, Egyptian directors Atiyat Al-Abnoudi and Tahani Rashed, Egyptian cinematographer and lighting expert Maher Radi, Egyptian director and writer Samir Awad, Cameroonian director Jean-Marie Téno, and American director Ross Kauffman.
Galal adds that the films in the programme are linked to the personalities being honoured. “Some of those honoured were recognised in previous editions, but we aim to create a model for the festival’s vision. We’ve selected individuals who have made a significant impact on documentary cinema. While time constraints meant we couldn’t restore all the films, we did digital corrections for some to make them suitable for screening. The key is giving new generations a chance to see these films. If we could do this with limited resources, it shows the importance of preserving our cinematic heritage for the future.”
The festival also features a rich selection of films outside the competition in the “A Look at the World” section, showcasing global films that have won awards and received critical praise. The long documentary competition includes ten films that address human and social issues from directors worldwide. The competition for documentary, short, and animated films includes 24 films from 20 countries, with 12 Arab films. There’s also the “New Stars” competition, formerly the student competition, which focuses on supporting young Egyptian directors with 17 films showing fresh creative visions.
This year’s highlights include the opening short film outside the competition, Thuraya by director Ahmed Badr Karam. Egyptian director Yohanna Nagy’s debut film And There Was Evening and There Was Morning will be featured in the long documentary competition. Egyptian director Amr Bayoumi’s film The Sea Man, known for his award-winning feature Where Did Ramses Go? (2019), will be part of the official short film competition.
The Ismailia Festival has always aimed to expand its reach by screening films in public spaces where people gather. Galal believes connecting with the community in Ismailia and the Canal cities is vital. This year, screenings are also taking place in Fayed and Al-Qantara. “It’s important to go beyond the festival’s core venues to attract a larger audience and engage with the area,” she says.
Despite the challenges of organising a festival with a limited budget outside the capital, the Ismailia Festival’s goal remains to inspire filmmakers, engage audiences, and support the film industry. Galal sees inspiration as her main ambition for this edition.
“That is the mark I hope to leave in every stage of my professional journey,” she says. “Cinema is like a football team. The player who passes the ball to a teammate is the one who wins the game. Cinema works the same way. Every time I have the opportunity to make a film, I make it. And every time I can help someone else make a film, I give them that chance.”
“This was the idea behind Semat when I founded it, and it’s my idea for the festival now. Whether it’s through showcasing inspiring films or directly supporting filmmakers, that’s how cinema lives on.”
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: