Fatma Ben Saidane will receive the festival’s Hypatia shield “in honour of her career in cinema, theatre, and television,” according to the festival.

Starring in 47 films, mostly in Tunisia, but also in France, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt, the star actress’ most important works are Halfaouine (1990), Samt El Kousour (1994) and Zizou (2016).

“She made a significant contribution to the short film industry,” the festival states about the multi-awarded artist, listing Bolbol and Houria among her most significant shorts.

The latter was featured in the festival’s sixth edition in 2020.

The eighth ASFF will include fiction and documentary competitions, as well as an animation competition introduced last year, in addition to student film competition for Egyptians.

The festival was founded by Alexandria Art Circle (Dayret Al-Fann) Association “to give a chance for filmmakers to present their work to the public and this in the heart of Alexandria to be a lighthouse of cinema in the world.”

The main awards of the festival are the Golden and Silver Hypatia, named for the Greek philosopher, astronomer and mathematician who lived in Alexandria.