The Cairo International Film Festival for Children is set to begin next week, but much to journalists' dismay, the inaugural press conference was anything but festive. For some inexplicable reason, Fawzy Fahmy, the president of the children's festival, lashed out at journalists. Held at the Higher Council for Culture to announce the opening of the 18th edition of the festival and discuss this year's activities, Fahmy adopted a discourteous, hostile tone to address the baffled journalists and attendants.Sohier Abdel Kader, general manger of the festival, also attended the press conference. The little information journalists did receive was that 70 films from 42 Arab, European and American countries will be screened from March 6 to 13. Fahmy refused to provide a general idea about the subject matter of the participating films, asking the journalists to find answers for their queries in the press release. "We will screen around 70 movies from different countries, Fahmy said. "So how can I know what all those movies are about? It was a question about censorship, however, that left Fahmy fuming in anger. Asked whether any film was censored out of the competition, he replied, "This might be common at Cairo International Film festivals but that doesn't necessarily mean that censorship is also applied to the Children Festival's films. The answer turned into a personal criticism of the journalist, as Fahmy - citing his work with an opposition paper - accused him of trying to fish for flaws in the festival. Fahmy then ended the conversation by the telling the journalist he would have a word with his editor. Fahmy announced that 100 children from 100 different schools will participate with the jury members in deciding the winners. The festival will screen both long and short features. Seminars on the children s film industry will be organized and press conferences will be given by filmmakers and actors following screenings. Films will be screened in different movie theaters including Tahrir, Serag Mall, Haram, Good News, Metro, Nile City, Family Cinema; as well as the Cairo Opera House's Small Theater and the Press Syndicate screening room. Films will also be screened in public libraries such as Mubarak Library in Giza, Ain Al-Sirah, Maadi Public Library, Suzanne Mubarak Library in Agouza, Kasr Al-Cinema Library in Garden City, the youth center of Al-Sayyeda Zeinab and Maadi Sports Club. The festival will also screen films at different hospitals including Ahmed Maher, the Heart Institute, Abou Al-Rish in Al-Mounira and Kasr Al-Aini, along with some of the Ministry of Culture's culture palaces in Matareya, Al-Kananter, and Garden City. The festival will also feature films in the governorates of Beheira, Gharbeya, Assiut, Sohag, Aswan, Ismailia, Port Said, Alexandria, Qena, Mansoura, Zaqaziq, Fayoum and Menufiya. The festival will honor Egyptian actors who started their careers as children, including Mohamed Nagaty, Donia, Mamdouh Abdel Alim, Ola Ramy, Ahmed Salama and Laila Elwy. Director Nader Galal will be among the honorees.
