Festivals & Events In Cairo

Cairo International Film Festival

Egypt’s appreciation of the arts in general may be traced back to the Pharaohs’ rich legacy. Egypt has had a rich cinematic legacy since the early twentieth century, when the art of filming was initially pioneered. Cinema quickly blossomed into a massive motion picture business as a logical continuation from the busy theatrical scene of the time. This, along with a far longer musical legacy, propelled Egypt to the status of Hollywood Middle East and the Arab world’s cultural capital.

Egypt has intrigued and inspired the West’s creative powers for more than 500 years, from playwright William Shakespeare through poet and dramatist John Dryden, novelist and poet Lawrence Durrell, and film director Cecil B. DeMille. Since the silent era, Hollywood has reaped the benefits of blending Egyptian storytelling with visual effects at the box office.

Egypt has also produced some of the twentieth century’s best Arab authors, from Taha Hussein and Tawfiq al-Hakim to Nobel Laureate novelist Naguib Mahfouz. They’ve all written for the big screen.

With such credentials, it seemed obvious that Cairo should strive to host an international film festival. On Monday, August 16, 1976, the Egyptian Association of Film Writers and Critics, led by Kamal El-Mallakh, opened the inaugural Cairo International Film Festival. The event was organized by the Association for seven years, until 1983.

This accomplishment prompted the Festival’s President to approach the FIAPF once again, this time to propose that a competition be added in the 1991 Festival. The request was approved.

After the death of Saad El-Din Wahba, the Festival was presided over by one of Egypt’s greatest actors, Hussein Fahmy, who was selected by the Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni.

Cherif El-Shoubashy, a journalist and novelist, was elected president four years later.

For 33 years, the International Festival has honored dozens of international superstars, including John Malkovich, Nicolas Cage, Morgan Freeman, Bud Spencer, Gina Lollobrigida, Ornella Muti, Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale, Victoria Abril, Elizabeth Taylor, Shashi Kapoor, Alain Delon, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Susan Sarandon, Greta Scacchi, Catherine Deneuve, Peter O’Toole, Charl Since its inception in 1976, the Festival’s presidents have been Saad El-Din Wahba, Hussein Fahmy, and Sherif El Shoubashy.