Goethe-Institut in Cairo to Launch 'Bustan Film Week' next Week

The Goethe-Institut Cairo is launching its annual film week under a new name and concept this year: “Bustan Film Week.” 

In collaboration with several cinema centers in Egypt and Germany, the program brings together Arab and German films around the central theme “Dreams of the Village and the City.”

Running from 23 to 27 September 2025 at the institute’s downtown premises, the first edition will feature ten films, eight from the Arab world and two from Germany. 

The title of the program is inspired by two landmark works of Syrian cinema: "Dreams of the City" (1984) by Mohamed Malas, which opens the festival, and "Everyday Life in a Syrian Village" (1974) by Omar Amiralay, shown in excerpts due to its fragile state.

The program presents a variety of works from Sudan, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Germany. 

The selected films include "The Station" and "Hunting Journey" from Sudan, "Semaan bel Dayaa" and "Birds of September" from Lebanon, and "The Mice Room," "Experimental Summer," and "Coming Forth by Day" from Egypt. 

The remarkable "Untold Stories from Gaza at Point Zero" by Palestine's Rashid Rashid Masharawi will be included in the program. 

The German entries are "Too Far Away" and "Flexible Woman" by Tatjana Turanskyj.

Alongside screenings, the festival will host a parallel program that includes the video installation Cairografia by Kinda Hassan and Dalia Naous, two panel discussions on co-production and Arab cinema heritage, and a Masterclass on international co-production and distribution led by German producer Frieder Schlaich.

The opening night takes place on 23 September with a screening of "Dreams of the City." The festival closes on 27 September with the German family drama "Too Far Away."