Festival president and screenwriter Sayed Fouad expressed that the festival will hold several activities honouring Youssef Chahine (1926–2016) as one of the most influential figures in Arab and world cinema.
LAFF’s upcoming edition, set to take place in March 2026, will screen four of Chahine’s most iconic films—recently restored by Misr International Films—in a special programme dedicated to the filmmaker.
The festival will hold parallel screenings of these films across various African countries throughout 2026 and special tributes to individuals who collaborated with Chahine on those works.
The films’ titles have not yet been released.
In parallel, a major video art exhibition featuring Chahine film posters and rare photographs from his life and work as a director will accompany the celebrations.
The festival will also issue a bilingual publication (Arabic–French) documenting the artist’s life, films and cinematic legacy.
Youssef Chahine
Chahine, the most celebrated filmmaker in the Middle East, has created films that have participated in and won awards at the world’s leading film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, and Berlin.
Chahine’s film Cairo Station was the first Arab and the first African film to be submitted for consideration for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (1958).
Three other films were submitted for Oscars consideration: Alexandria ... Why? (1979), Alexandria Again and Forever (1990), and Destiny (1997), while five were nominated for the Cannes Palme d’Or.
Alexandria ... Why? also scooped a Silver Bear at the Berlinale in 1979.
In 1997, Chahine was presented with the Cannes Festival’s 50th Anniversary Prize for lifetime achievement.
Luxor African Film Festival
In its upcoming edition, the festival will spotlight South African cinema, featuring four films that mark key milestones in developing the country’s cinematic landscape, alongside a reprint of a seminal book.
Festival director Azza El-Hosseiny also announced a special tribute to the late Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé (1940–2025), who was among the festival’s guests in previous editions.
The LAFF is Egypt’s only cinematic event dedicated to showcasing African cinema's richness.
Throughout its history, the festival has screened countless films by African directors and held workshops, seminars and industry-related events attended by filmmakers and film aficionados.
Launched in 2012, LAFF is organized by the Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF) NGO and is the brainchild of Egyptian screenwriter and actor Sayed Fouad and actress and film director Azza El-Hosseiny.
Actor Mahmoud Hemeida serves as LAFF’s honorary president.
Each year, the opening and/or closing ceremonies take place at one of Luxor's remarkable archaeological sites.
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