“Egyptian Cinema Challenges” seminar to take place on November 26

CAIRO – 18 November 2017: “Egyptian Cinema Challenges” seminar will take place on November 26 as part of the 39th Cairo International Film Festival symposiums.

The seminar will be directed by the cinema critic Khaled Mahmoud. The symposium will tackle the current status and the future of the Egyptian cinema; Mahmoud will discuss the negative issues that harm the Egyptian cinema industry, such as monopoly, hacking, taxes and the problems related to production and distribution of movies.

CIFF management chose to screen the American movie “Mountain Between Us” in the opening ceremony of the festival which stars Kate Winslet and Idris Elba.

The veteran Egyptian actor and the former head of CIFF, Hussein Fahmy, will be the jury committee head of the International Official Competition. Australia will be this edition’s guest of honor.

The 39th edition of the festival will honor the great late cinema critic Samir Farid. The festival’s management is preparing a program to honor a number of late distinguished filmmakers, such as the great Egyptian director Mohamed Kamel el-Kaliouby and the veteran Lebanese director John Shamoun.

The festival’s management also decided to choose the Egyptian mega star Youssra to be this year's honorary president of the festival.

The festival will screen 175 films this year from 53 countries.

Renowned comedian Samir Ghanem is also set to receive the Faten Hamama Honorary and Excellence award; becoming the first comedic actor to receive the award.