New blood pumped into veins of CIFF

CAIRO – 12 May 2018: New blood has been pumped into the veins of Cairo International Film Festival’s (CIFF) parallel programs that were launched during the 36th edition of CIFF under its former head, Samir Farid.

Critic Osama Abd El-Fatah will be managing the International Critic's Week, while Egyptian critic Andrew Mohsen will manage the Cinema of Tomorrow competition for short and student films. “The competition has achieved great success in the previous editions and we will work on maintaining this success, along with working on adding more variety to the submitted films in order to provide more space for documentary and animation films, and also conjoining distinctive films from countries that hadn't participated yet in the competition," Mohsen said about his vision for the new edition of the competition.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Shawky, CIFF's deputy technical director, continues to manage the Horizons of Arab Cinema competition.

The press center will be managed by critic Khaled Mahmoud, who will supervise a team specialized in dealing with local, regional and international print and online press, as well as social media mediums.

“CIFF has a great value regionally and internationally; thus, it requires the presence of a modern press center that reflects all the events with the desired speed and accuracy, and to facilitate the mission of fellow journalists, whether Egyptians, Arabs or foreigners,” Mahmoud added. He explained that its policy will be reflected on the credence and methods of circulating the festival's news and updates moment by moment, according to an ambitious plan that is appropriate for the position and future of a large cinematic entity; it will also benefit from the great contribution that had been provided by the previous administration of the press center through the previous years.

“The choices made were based on the attempts to develop the administration in a way that suits the picture we want to deliver to the world about CIFF as a major modern event; working as a part of the cinematic industry and culture in the whole world and not only in Egypt and the Arab world," Mohamed Hefzy, head of CIFF, said about these changes.

Youssef Cherif Rizkallah, technical director of CIFF, regards the changes as a reflection to the administration's desire to pump new blood in CIFF's different sections in a way that grants the festival more vitality and interaction with modern work demands.

It is worth mentioning that CIFF will open the door starting May 21 for films participating in its 40th edition, set to be held November 20-29.

Hefzy has been selected as the president of the 40th Cairo International Film Festival, following acclaimed Egyptian film critic Magda Wasef.

Hefzy is an Egyptian film producer and screenwriter who was born in 1975. He is the founder of Film Clinic, which is now considered one of the leading production companies in Egypt and the Arab world. He is also a film activist who gives workshops and training programs conducted in cooperation with acclaimed international organizations and institutes.

In 2013, Hefzy was named by Screen International as the only Arab among 30 future leaders in film production. In 2016, he was chosen by Variety on top of a list of “Ten Names You Need to Know in the Arab Film Industry”.

His films have participated widely in numerous prominent film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance and Toronto, and they have won more than 80 international awards. In 2016, one of his latest productions, “Clash”, was chosen as the opening film of the Uncertain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival.

In 2011, Hefzy was as a jury member at several local and Arab festivals, including the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival.

Hefzy is very familiar with Cairo International Film Festival, as he was on CIFF’s advisory board, an advisor for Cairo Film Connection (CFC) and a CIFF jury member in 2010.

Hefzy is a former director of the Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, and he has been a board member of the Egyptian Chamber of Cinema since 2013. He also continues to represent and lobby for independent filmmakers in Egypt and throughout the Arab world.

Hefzy previously said that his main plan is to develop the festival, solve the problems of the previous editions, and build on the efforts and achievements that have been executed before.