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CAIRO FILM FESTIVAL TO OPEN WITH GERMAN DIRECTOR FATIH AKIN'S LATEST
Ahram, Egypt
Sept 25 2014
Organisers of the 36th edition of the Cairo International Film
Festival - set to take place from 9-18 November - held the first
press conference for the event on Wednesday evening at the Cairo
Opera House to announce the opening film and other details.
Samir Farid, renowned film critic and festival president, told members
of the press that this year's festival will have a different approach
than previous editions as his team includes young filmmakers and
critics who are bringing fresh energy to Cairo's oldest film festival.
The team includes veteran Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nassrallah,
directors Ahmad Abdalla (Microphone, Rags and Tatters), Ahmed Maher,
Maggie Morgan (Asham, 2012) and Hala Galal, as well as film critic
Joseph Fahim.
Farid also announced that the festival's opening film will be
German-born Turkish director Fatih Akin's The Cut. The film is set
during the first World War and follows the events of the Armenian
genocide during the Ottoman Empire's collapse.
The Cut
The festival has renamed the Lifetime Achievement Award to the
Naguib Mahfouz Award, which will be given to five individuals, four
of which were announced. The only Egyptian to receive the award will
be actress Nadia Loutfy, honoured for her exceptional contribution to
Egyptian cinema, her support to first time directors and her political
involvements in the past.
The award will also be given to Moroccan film critic and Marrakech
Festival founder Noureddine Saeel, German director Volker Schlondorff
(who is both an Oscar and Cannes Palme d'Or winner) and former French
culture minister Jack Lang, who played a role in securing French
support for Egyptian and Arab cinema and culture.
Loutfy was also the main inspiration for the Cairo Film Festival
poster, which features the top of her face with an emphasis on her
striking eyes staring into the camera, as captured from her appearance
with Abdel-Halim Hafez in Aby Fawq Al-Shagara (1969).
The poster's designer, visual artist Karim Adam, explained to the
press that the focus on Loutfy was to capture the eyes reflecting
the lens of the camera in cinema.
36th Cairo Internaitonal Film Festival Poster
The festival will also feature an Industry Forum in parallel to the
screenings, following the model of other international film festivals,
where filmmakers can meet with potential distributors and producers.
Previously this forum was dubbed the Film Market and was a platform
for selling Egyptian films abroad and buying international films for
Egypt's market. According to Farid, in the past there was never any
activity in this platform since the Egyptian market is only open to
local films and Hollywood productions.
The festival's artistic director Mohamed Samir says the forum will
be supportive of the local independent industry. Participants will
get to screen excerpts of their films to distributors in addition to
providing them with names and contact information.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/111669/Arts--Culture/Film/Cairo-Film-Festival-to-open-with-German-director-F.aspx
From: Baghdasarian
Ahram, Egypt
Sept 25 2014
Organisers of the 36th edition of the Cairo International Film
Festival - set to take place from 9-18 November - held the first
press conference for the event on Wednesday evening at the Cairo
Opera House to announce the opening film and other details.
Samir Farid, renowned film critic and festival president, told members
of the press that this year's festival will have a different approach
than previous editions as his team includes young filmmakers and
critics who are bringing fresh energy to Cairo's oldest film festival.
The team includes veteran Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nassrallah,
directors Ahmad Abdalla (Microphone, Rags and Tatters), Ahmed Maher,
Maggie Morgan (Asham, 2012) and Hala Galal, as well as film critic
Joseph Fahim.
Farid also announced that the festival's opening film will be
German-born Turkish director Fatih Akin's The Cut. The film is set
during the first World War and follows the events of the Armenian
genocide during the Ottoman Empire's collapse.
The Cut
The festival has renamed the Lifetime Achievement Award to the
Naguib Mahfouz Award, which will be given to five individuals, four
of which were announced. The only Egyptian to receive the award will
be actress Nadia Loutfy, honoured for her exceptional contribution to
Egyptian cinema, her support to first time directors and her political
involvements in the past.
The award will also be given to Moroccan film critic and Marrakech
Festival founder Noureddine Saeel, German director Volker Schlondorff
(who is both an Oscar and Cannes Palme d'Or winner) and former French
culture minister Jack Lang, who played a role in securing French
support for Egyptian and Arab cinema and culture.
Loutfy was also the main inspiration for the Cairo Film Festival
poster, which features the top of her face with an emphasis on her
striking eyes staring into the camera, as captured from her appearance
with Abdel-Halim Hafez in Aby Fawq Al-Shagara (1969).
The poster's designer, visual artist Karim Adam, explained to the
press that the focus on Loutfy was to capture the eyes reflecting
the lens of the camera in cinema.
36th Cairo Internaitonal Film Festival Poster
The festival will also feature an Industry Forum in parallel to the
screenings, following the model of other international film festivals,
where filmmakers can meet with potential distributors and producers.
Previously this forum was dubbed the Film Market and was a platform
for selling Egyptian films abroad and buying international films for
Egypt's market. According to Farid, in the past there was never any
activity in this platform since the Egyptian market is only open to
local films and Hollywood productions.
The festival's artistic director Mohamed Samir says the forum will
be supportive of the local independent industry. Participants will
get to screen excerpts of their films to distributors in addition to
providing them with names and contact information.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/111669/Arts--Culture/Film/Cairo-Film-Festival-to-open-with-German-director-F.aspx
From: Baghdasarian