Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Take A look at CIFF History


Sun 20 Nov 2022 | 04:02 PM
Ahmed Emam

The first edition of the Cairo Film Festival (CIFF) was held in 1976, only three short years after the 6th of October War. It is the oldest internationally accredited cultural feature film festival in the Arab World, Africa, and the Middle East.

Like many other film festivals, CIFF,  which is an annual event celebrating the best international cinema, exists as an indirect result of the rise of the showbiz industry revolution and global cinema's golden age.

Its roots date back to 1975, after a visit to the Berlin Film Festival the late writer-critic Kamal El Mallakh and a group of like-minded cinema critics wondered why such a world-class festival couldn't take place in Egypt.

The first edition of CIFF featured around 100 films from 33 countries, with 14 films from 14 different countries in competition. 

To  celebrate the talent of filmmakers and their legacy, the CIFF gives prestigious awards to iconic stars, great works and productions. It also has proven its daring and versatility year after year and continues to act as a meeting point not only for filmmakers and critics but also for writers, intellectuals, and other artists.

The Egyptian Association of Film Writers and Critics headed the festival for the first seven years until 1983. 

Later, the Union of Artist's Syndicates supervised the festival, and after that point, several associations mustered their resources to run the festival. 

In 1985, he Egyptian Association of Film Writers and Critics joined with the Ministry of Culture and the Union of Artist's Syndicates to form a joint committee in order to to improve the quality and financial state of the festival.