The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is back with its 36th edition, which will open today at the Cairo Opera House and run until November 18th. Established in 1976, the festival was the Arab world’s first such event and, as the only FIAPF-accredited competitive international feature film festival in the Middle East and Africa, it remains among the region’s most prestigious. The event, however, has not been immune to Egypt’s political turmoil—after the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and squabbles over who should lead the festival, the roundly criticized 35th edition was postponed a year to 2012, while this 36th edition was initially planned for 2013. Now, under the direction of veteran film critic Samir Farid the revamped festival—and by extension, the Egyptian film industry—is gearing up to regain its former glory.
Continue this article and read our full guide to the 2014 Cairo International Film Festival on Style.com/Arabia/MEN.
