MedFest Collaborates with Malmö Arab Film Festival for First Time

After establishing partnerships and cooperating with numerous Egyptian and Arab festivals, MedFest Forum and its founders Mina El-Naggar and Khaled Ali,  is cooperating with Malmö Arab Film Festival in its 14th edition, scheduled to take place from April 22-28 in the Swedish City of Malmö. 

Through this partnership, a discussion session is to be held today, Thursday, April 25th, in Malmö, entitled “Mental Health Challenges in Film Industry”. 

MedFest Founder, Egyptian actor Mina El-Naggar - who is experienced in the film industry and passionate about defending mental health - will take part in the session. 

The participants also include: actress of Sane Cinema, Louise Johansson, who is an expert in mental health and filmmaking, and Lebanese actress Nada Abou Farahat, who presented complex roles in cinema, television, and theater. 

She also works on raising awareness about mental health and well-being. 

During the discussion, the mental health challenges of filmmakers, pressures of deadlines, economic topics, and long shooting hours will be tackled. 

The significance of solidarity in promoting mental health practices, seeking support, and enhancing the quality of films will also be tackled, in addition to how film cultures benefit from one another and fostering an international community of filmmakers dedicated to supporting mental health. 

El-Naggar stated, “At MedFest, we have diversified partnerships with multiple festivals, including: Cairo Film Festival, Gouna Film Festival, Through Her Eyes Festival and others. Basically, it is a moveable festival. For the first time, we will cooperate with Malmö Festival. We had begun partnerships through a workshop on the mental health of actors, in which Ahmed Malek, Mohamed Farrag, screenwriter Mariam Naoum, and Dr. Nabil Al-Qout participated. The media dialogue was moderated by Anas Bukhash. We are always keen on tackling health and films, especially the health of the film’s team in front of and behind the camera”. 

"MedFest - Egypt" is an international forum for short films. 

It is the first of its kind in the Middle East, for it combines art and filmmaking with medicine and health through a unique cinematic experience. It was founded in 2017 by Dr. Mina El-Naggar and Dr. Khaled Ali. 

The forum screens carefully-selected films, followed by discussion panels with experts in medicine and filmmaking. 

Throughout the year, it presents a parallel program that includes multiple workshops and lectures to trigger deeper discussions about art and health, along with monthly film screenings.