Get to Know 46 CIFF Awards & Honors

Rana Atef

The 46th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) concluded Friday evening in a grand ceremony held in the Egyptian capital, attended by leading filmmakers, stars, cultural figures, and international guests.

في حفل ختام #مهرجان_القاهرة_السينمائي_الدولي .. القاهرة هي عاصمة السينما العربية بلا منازع 🎥🇪🇬#مهرجان_القاهرة_السينمائي_الدولي #CIFF46 #dmc pic.twitter.com/Rj5O7smMqc
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The ceremony welcomed a distinguished lineup of attendees, including Minister of Culture Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henno, Festival President Hussein Fahmy, and Artistic Director Mohamed Tarek, alongside prominent Egyptian and Arab celebrities such as Nelly, Khaled El Nabawy, Mahmoud Hemida, Laila Elwi, Elham Shaheen, Khaled El Sawy, Ashraf Zaki, Khaled Selim, Mohamed Reyad, Salwa Mohamed Ali, Sabry Fawwaz, Hana Shiha, Dalia Mostafa, Mohamed Radwan, Liqaa El Khamissi, Manal Salama, Ahmed Magdy, Rania Youssef, Mohamed Tharwat, Hanady Mehanna, Amr Abed, and many others, in addition to influential producers, directors, writers, and international guests.

نجمات الفن من حفل ختام مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي#الموقع_مكانك_الأول_للخبر #مهرجان_القاهرة_السينمائي_الدولي pic.twitter.com/OYzvt24g4H
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The ceremony began with the Egyptian national anthem, followed by a deeply moving tribute: an image of Palestinian child Hind Rajab accompanied by the audio of her final phone call with paramedics before the vehicle she was in was targeted by Israeli forces, leading to her death.

The gesture expressed the festival’s solidarity with Palestinian civilians and honored the memory of innocent victims.

Fahmy then addressed the audience, reflecting on the emotional tribute.

“The call you heard may sound like a scene from a film, but tragically, it is real,” he said. “It is the voice of six-year-old Hind Rajab from Gaza, who cried for help for three hours after witnessing her family killed before her eyes. Cinema has the power to document truth and preserve stories that must not be erased.”

Fahmy announced that the festival’s closing film was “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, adding that this year’s edition presented a rich program of screenings, restored films, masterclasses, workshops, and a vibrant film market. He extended gratitude to government institutions, cultural bodies, and festival sponsors.

He also praised the festival team, in addition, he congratulated Qatar on launching a new edition of the Doha Film Festival and announced a cooperation agreement between CIFF and the Media City Film Commission in Qatar.

TV presenter Jasmin Taha Zaki took the stage to host the ceremony, highlighting that the festival screened 153 films from 55 countries.

This year’s honorary Golden Pyramid Awards for Lifetime Achievement were presented to acclaimed Chinese director Juang Ho and Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi.

Cinematographer Mahmoud Abdel Samie also received the Golden Pyramid for Lifetime Achievement.

Regarding the full list of the festival awards, it is as follows: