Film My Design Festival Concludes Its Second Edition

The Film My Design (FMD) concluded its second edition on January 30 with a number of films from around the world, in a ceremony attended by the American Embassy representatives, renowned architects, and filmmakers.

The four-day-long festival, sponsored by the American Embassy in Cairo and other international institutions, showcased the rich and perse culture of design arts.

During the festival, different design stories were showcased each day as a means of exposing Egyptians to the rich culture of the Design World through 30 films from around the world.

Moreover, leading architects displayed their best works, including Canadian well-known designer Bruce Mau, who showcased the building he had designed for KSA and other notable institutions and firms like Disney.

Speaking to Sada Elbalad English (SEE), the Director and Founder of New York City's Architecture and Design Film Festival, Kyle Bergman, said earlier that FMD is a positive opportunity for local and international designers, adding that it's inspiring people who have been doing designs for a long time, as well as young creative designers.

"They can also see films about aspiring designers," Bergman noted.

As an example, Bergman mentioned that these films revolve around inspiring design ideas, saying that the opening film, "Mau," talks about the power of design.

He also expressed his gratitude to all the festival team members and commented, "I would like to thank the US embassy in Cairo for sponsoring this significant event."

Asked about the idea behind the event, the co-founders of FMD, Israa Ibrahim and Farah El-Rafei, said: "It is a unique project that aims to establish a creative community of Egyptian designers and filmmakers who collaborate to produce design-film documentaries."

"It is the first of its kind in the Arab region and Egypt," El-Rafei noted.

"We have been working on FMD to shed light on the grassroots of the Egyptian arts industry," El-Rafei, who moved to Dubai to work on several art projects, said.

In the same spirit, the two young girls revealed their efforts to enhance cross-cultural dialogue with prominent and well-established design communities across the globe.