Dorra Zarrouk photographed by Amina Zaher at CIFF 2019
The Cairo International Film Festival announced on June 1 the opening of registration for films all across the globe wishing to participate in the festival’s 43rd edition, held from the December 1 till 10 of 2021.
The deadline for participants is August 31, 2021; they may submit through the official festival website for feature-length and short films and through Film Freeway for short films only.
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Producer and president of the festival, Mohamed Hefzy, states that Arab festivals scheduled one after the other in a period of only two months towards the end of 2021 has made this edition more challenging than any other. However, he expressed his optimism in holding the 43rd edition in safer circumstances despite the pandemic, referring to efforts of vaccination drives across countries worldwide, including Egypt, that allow for relaxed restrictions during travel, opening of theaters, and social gatherings.
According to the official website, the festival will do their “utmost best to organize a hygienically safe and artistically superior edition, while complying with all the sanitary measures and regulations set by the Egyptian Government and the World Health Organization.”
The 42nd edition in December last year witnessed the participation of 95 films representing more than 40 countries, of which 20 films saw their world and international premieres. Last year’s edition also set the tone of awards conversations, showcasing the premieres of The Father and Nomadland, which collectively won five Academy Awards earlier this year. The festival also honored three major figures in cinema, including Egyptian screenwriter Waheed Hamed, and British playwright and Oscar winner Christopher Hampton.
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The Cairo International Film Festival is the oldest international annual festival in the Middle East and North Africa region and the only one accredited as Category A by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations in Paris (FIAPF), alongside 14 other festivals organizing international competitions.
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