Headed by renowned actor Huseein Fahmy with Amir Ramses as the festival's artistic director, the 44th CIFF will be held from 13 to 22 November

The prominent Japanese director and writer who will head the CIFF's International Competition jury gained worldwide fame after achieving many successes during her career that began in the late 1980s.

Born and raised in Nara, Japan, Naomi Kawase continues to make her world-acclaimed films there today.

Kawase is the youngest person to win the Caméra d'Or (for best debut feature film) at the Cannes Film Festival for Moe no Suzaku (1997). She has won three awards from the prestigious French festival for her films Mogari no Mori (2007) and Hikari (2017). She also received the Carrosse d’or from the Directors’ Fortnight (2009)

After filming her two features Vision (2018) and Asa ga Kuru (2020), she was appointed the official Film Director of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and is a Thematic Producer for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo. 

Outside of film, she pursues other forms of expression including commercial directing, radio program DJing, essay writing, installation creation and various other activities, including calligraphy.

As executive director of the Nara International Film Festival, which she launched in 2010, she focuses on nurturing the next generation of visionaries and has produced nine films in this pursuit.