CIFF to Launch 41st Edition

The Cairo International Film Festival "CIFF", headed by producer Mohamed Hefzy, is set to launch its 41st edition on Wednesday evening with Martin Scorsese's "Irish" film, starring three Oscar-winning stars, Al Pacino and Joe Peche. The film is Peche’s ninth collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.

The concert, directed by Hisham Fathi, will take place on the big stage at the Egyptian Opera House. It will be co-sponsored by the three Egyptian stars, Khaled El Sawy, Dina El Sherbini and Ahmed Daoud.

This year the festival will honor the greatest of Egyptian artists led by the great critic Yusuf Sharif Rizkallah, the artistic director of the festival, who passed away last July, and there will be an artistic show during which the festival celebrates the film industry.

During the ceremony, the Faten Hamama Award will be presented to both the British-American director Terry Gilliam and the great Egyptian director Sherif Arafa. Menna Shalaby will also receive the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence. Lastly the festival is set to highlight the Mexican cinema industry, which is this year’s guest of honor.

The 41st Cairo International Film Festival "CIFF" will be held from 20 to 29 November, and will screen more than 150 films from 63 countries, including 35 films making their debut on international screenings.