The festival,  held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Development Fund, will take place between 6 and 20 May, with films to be screened at the Artistic Creativity Center on the Cairo Opera House grounds. 

The 49th edition is chaired by the director of cinematography Mahmoud Abdel-Samie.

In his press statement, Abdel-Samie highlighted that the festival has been running for almost 50 years and praised the many renowned figures who contributed to its success.

"The festival is considered an annual celebration of Egyptian cinema. It is the oldest festival in the history of Egyptian cinema, focused on local achievements in the cinematic field. Its foundations, regulations and pillars were set in cooperation with the late critic Samir Farid and critic Sami Al-Salamouni," he said.

In this edition, the festival will feature 26 long feature films screened in Egyptian cinemas and four films featured on movie streaming platforms.

It will also include 15 Arab feature films from 10 Arab countries, which were screened in Egyptian cinemas in 2022.

These films from Arab countries will compete for the Best Arab Film Award.