The opening ceremony of the 13th edition of the prestigious Swedish film festival, 28 April - 4 May, will be held in the Royal Hall (Rådhus) under the auspices of the City of Malmö.

Running since 2011, the MAFF has become among the leading and largest film festivals dedicated to Arab cinema outside the Arab world.

Fahmy will also teach a masterclass at Malmö’s city library during the festival.

The festival's website introduces Fahmy, 83, as having "a tremendous artistic career that extends for more than half a century, from the time he played his first role in the movie Dalal Al-Masria directed by Hassan El-Imam in 1970 until his most recent role in the series Serroh El-Batie directed by Khaled Youssef, shown during the Ramadan 2023."

After graduating from UCLA with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the early 1960s, Fahmy taught at the Academy of Arts for twelve years.

In a career that has spanned 60 years, Fahmy has starred - and also directed - in over two hundred films, TV series, plays and radio works.

He worked in film with distinguished Egyptian directors such as Youssef Chahine, Kamal El-Sheikh, Henry Barakat and Mohamed Khan.

He currently serves as head of the Cairo International Film Festival, a position he previously held between 1998 and 2001.

The award at Malmo will be the latest in many recognitions received by Fahmy for lifetime achievements.

Most recently, in March 2022, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Luxor African Film Festival at its 11th edition.