The chairman of the Cairo Film Society Festival, director of Photography Mahmoud Abdelsamie stated that the management board has selected veteran star Hussein Fahmy to be the guest of honor of the 49th edition of the Festival, scheduled to take place from May 6-20, at Cairo Opera House.
Furthermore, Abdelsamie pointed out that there is a strong link between Hussein Fahmy and the festival because he has presented multiple films to compete for the festival’s awards.
He also won numerous awards from multiple film festivals.
Abdelsamie added “I know Hussein Fahmy from a long time. He was graduated from the Higher Institute of Cinema. He went to America to study film direction, after his return, the Cinema Authority nominated him to direct a documentary film for the Documentary Film Center and I was nominated to be the cinematographer of the same film. After the comprehensive preparations of the film, he told me that he won’t work as a professional director and that he will participate in “Khally Ballak Men Zouzou” movie as an actor. This year I asked him to be the guest of honor at the upcoming edition. Last year, he was the guest of honor at the special edition which included the movies of 2020 and 2021. He accepted our invitation to take part in the upcoming edition, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Film Society Festival”.
On his part, star Hussein Fahmy expressed his gladness to be the guest of honor of the festival which regarded as one of the most prominent local Egyptian festivals.
He stated “I still remember the festival launching, at that time I was a student at the Film Institute. It has always been one of the most significant film festivals for its long history and authenticity, not due to the number of attendees who love cinema. The festival celebrates every year with creative artists in multiple cinematic fields and specialties. The festival also cares about the public opinion through a special award and this is so important”.
Star Hussein Fahmy will hand over the certificates of the winning films which received the highest number of votes in the general referendum which is annually held to select the top films competing for the awards at the opening ceremony on 6th May. The management board of the festival announced holding the general referendum which includes the members of the festival, critics, journalists, and filmmakers in order to choose the top works of 2022 in Egyptian cinemas and online platforms. This year, 26 feature films are competing in the public referendum in Egyptian cinemas, as well as 4 films that were presented on platforms. Additionally, 15 Arab feature films -which were presented in Egyptian cinemas in 2022 from 10 Arab countries- are competing for the Best Arab Film Award.
The Minister of Culture Dr. Nevine Alkilany stated: “The Film Society Festival is one of the most prominent festivals which aim at granting opportunities for creative minds in this field. The festival plays national and cultural roles in supporting and enhancing awareness and thought through arts -in general- and the language of cinema -in particular- for the language of cinema is the image-based language that affects our people and the people of the world. The festival is so special among all Egyptian festivals, for it is the first festival that evaluates Egyptian film production through screening and reviewing films by a specialized jury in selection and evaluation. Thus, it is regarded as the first systematic evaluation of feature films on an annual basis”.
Notably, the festival is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, in coordination with the Cultural Development Fund, Cairo Opera House, Cinematic Professions Syndicate, and the National Center of Cinema. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious and prominent Egyptian festivals. Additionally, it is considered one of the most significant local festivals. A group of filmmakers participates in the festival’s jury. It also focuses on the artistic value of the participating films. The members of the festival select certain films which have been shown in previous editions. Selecting the top films is through the voting of the festival’s members; they choose the best 7 films that were presented over the year. Moreover, it is held over many years on a regular basis. It hasn’t stopped since its launch and establishment by the Film Association; through critics, filmmakers, and the current -and former- board of directors.
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