The 26th Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries, to be held from 14 to 19 September, will present 35 films from 14 countries. Festival president Mamdouh El-Leithy is scheduled to announce event details in a press conference next Saturday. The festival will feature films from Albania, Algeria, Bosnia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria and Turkey. The films include "Frigate" from Algeria, "A Feast Every Day" from Lebanon, "The forgotten" from Morocco, "Heaven's Gate" from Syria, and "The Traveller" from Egypt, starring Omar Sherif, Khaled Nabawi and Sireen Abd al-Noor. Tunisian director Mufida al-Talatli will head the judging panel. The panel will also include Egyptian actor Hisham Salim and actress Zaina, Greek Film Centre President George Pappalios, Italian film editor Roberto Berbiniani, French composer Eric Serra, and Indian photographer Sabina Gadihoke. Screenwriter Rafiq al-Sabban will be heading the digital awards panel. Egyptian film director Ahmed Abdullah and screenwriter Mary Naum also have seats on the panel. The festival will organize a critics' choice award, supervised by critic Iris Nasmi, for best Egyptian film of 2010, as well as one for the best 10 films in the past 10 years. One hundred critics and journalists will participate. The first three winning films will be awarded LE100,000 from the Egyptian radio and television union. A total of 153 screenplays will also be competing for a prize of LE250,000 in the Abdel Hay Adib competition. The festival will also honor Egyptian actress and honorary guest Naglaa Fathy, actor Gamil Ratib, director Ali Badrakhan, screenwriter Mustafa Moharam, director of photography Mahmoud Abdel Samie, critic Iris Nazmi, writer Hassan Shah, and sound engineer Jamil Aziz, as well as French writer Robert Soleil, Syrian Minister of Culture Riad Agha and Tunisian director Mufida al-Talatli. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
