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Alex to host Egypt's only film festival this year Scheduled to kick off early next month, this year's Alexandria Film Festival will feature movies from throughout Mediterranean world
With this year's cancellation of two of Egypt's key film festivals - the Cairo International Film Festival and the Ismailiya Film Festival - due to budget shortfalls at the Ministry of Culture, Alexandria's annual festival is set to become Egypt's only international film venue in 2011. The Alexandria Film Festival, which will be dedicated to the martyrs of Egypt's recent revolution, will feature 30 films from 16 Mediterranean and/or Arab countries. The festival will open with Kaf El-Kamar (‘The Moon's Palm') by Egyptian director Khaled Youssef. The other Egyptian entry will be Ibrahim El-Batout's independent film, ‘Hawi,' which tells the story of several characters living in Alexandria. “There were three other Egyptian films that we had hoped to include,” said festival head Nader Adly. “But the Abu Dhabi Film Festival contracted with them to hold their Middle East premieres.” Adly went on to criticise the monopoly on Egyptian films traditionally enjoyed by Gulf festivals, asserting Egypt's right to screen its films at Egyptian festivals. Other movies to be featured in the Alex festival include Amr Salama's ‘Asmaa'; documentary film ‘Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Politician'; and the collaborative film ‘18 Days.' The international jury in this year's festival will be headed up by Spanish director/scriptwriter Helena Tayerna. Other members of the distinguished panel will include Egyptian actor Khaled El-Sawy, actress Gehan Fadel and Italian set designer Osvaldo Desideri. The festival will also feature a digital film competition, the jury for which will include Egyptian director Mohamed Kamel El-Kaliouby, prominent film critic Magda Morise and noted filmmaker Amr Salama. This competition is scheduled to include two documentaries, Dakhel Khareg El-Ghorfa (‘In and Out of the Room') by Dina Hamza and Geld Hai (‘Living Skin') by Fawzi Saleh. This year's festival will also pay tribute to Nobel prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz, with screenings of the many films adapted from the late writer's work. The event will also honour Egyptian actors Yehia El-Fakharany and Zahret El-Ela, scriptwriter Beshir El-Beik, director Samir Seif and Osvaldo Desideri. The Alexandria Film Festival will be held from 5 October to 9 October in Egypt's second city.
