Matteo Garrone and Medhat El Adl Headline Opening Events of Cairo Industry Days
Hussein Fahmy: We Aim to Turn Cinematic Expertise into Real Opportunities for New Generations
The eighth edition of Cairo Industry Days (CID), headed by film critic Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rahim, begins its activities today, Thursday, as part of the 47th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), presided over by renowned actor Hussein Fahmy. The programme opens with two masterclasses featuring Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone and Egyptian screenwriter Medhat El Adl, both recipients of the Golden Pyramid Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement, ahead of the official opening of Cairo Industry Days on Saturday, November 14. This year’s edition also coincides with the celebration of fifty years since the festival’s founding in 1976.
Hussein Fahmy, President of Cairo International Film Festival, emphasized that Cairo Industry Days is an essential extension of the festival’s commitment to supporting cinema and its creators.
“For fifty years, Cairo International Film Festival has provided a space for filmmakers to meet, exchange ideas and share experiences. Today, we are building on that legacy through a professional programme that brings established industry figures together with emerging talents, creating opportunities for learning, collaboration and project development. We believe that celebrating the festival’s history becomes truly meaningful when we invest in the future of cinema and support the generations who will create its next stories,” Fahmy said.
This year’s Cairo Industry Days presents a diverse professional programme encompassing masterclasses, conversations, panel discussions, workshops and training initiatives, alongside the signing of cooperation agreements and the announcement of special awards. These activities reflect the festival’s commitment to strengthening industry skills, expanding professional networks and encouraging knowledge exchange among Egyptian, Arab and international film professionals.
The programme opens with a masterclass featuring acclaimed Italian director Matteo Garrone, recipient of the Golden Pyramid Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement at the festival’s 47th edition. Held at the Open-Air Theatre of the Cairo Opera House and moderated by Esi Aseeb, the session will explore major milestones in Garrone’s cinematic career, his directorial vision and his distinctive approach to creating worlds and characters on screen.
The same venue will then host a masterclass with celebrated Egyptian screenwriter Medhat El Adl, also a recipient of the Golden Pyramid Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement. Moderated by film critic Nahed Salah, the conversation will revisit his contributions to film and television writing, the defining moments of his creative journey and his experience of the Egyptian film industry’s evolution over recent decades.
The programme will continue with masterclasses and conversations featuring leading Egyptian and international filmmakers, including actor Asser Yassin, recipient of the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at the 47th edition, Spanish filmmaker and screenwriter Oliver Laxe, and Egyptian director Rami Imam, alongside other prominent directors, producers and industry professionals. These encounters will offer audiences and emerging filmmakers insight into diverse creative approaches, professional practices and the challenges involved in bringing films to the screen.
Cairo Industry Days will also feature a series of panel discussions addressing important issues and developments across the film industry. Among them is “From Family Letters to the Oscars: Abu Bakr Shawky’s The Stories Represents Egypt in the Oscar Race”, bringing together director Abu Bakr Shawky, actors Amir El-Masry, Sabry Fawaz and Ahmed Kamal, and Hend Radwan. Moderated by film critic Ramy Abdel Razek, the discussion will trace the film’s journey from a deeply personal inspiration to the screen and its subsequent selection as Egypt’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
To commemorate fifty years since the founding of Cairo International Film Festival, the programme will present a special panel entitled “Fifty Years on the Red Carpet: What Has Cairo International Film Festival Given Cinema, and What Has Cinema Given It in Return?”
Featuring CIFF President Hussein Fahmy, producer Mohamed Hefzy and journalist Sherif El-Shobashy, and moderated by journalist Ola El-Shafie, the discussion will reflect on the festival’s history, its relationship with the evolution of Egyptian and Arab cinema, and its influence on successive generations of filmmakers. It will also explore how that relationship has developed and transformed over the past five decades.
For his part, Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rahim, Director of Cairo Industry Days, explained that this year’s programme is guided by a vision of creating an integrated professional platform that brings together the various sectors of the film industry. It aims to facilitate direct dialogue between experienced professionals and emerging generations, moving beyond the presentation of individual success stories to address the practical challenges and opportunities facing filmmakers across the region.
He added that the variety of activities, ranging from specialised conversations and panel discussions to training workshops, cooperation agreements and awards, reflects the multiple levels at which industry development must take place. These efforts encompass skills development and knowledge exchange, as well as project support, opportunities for international co-production and stronger connections with institutions and organisations that support filmmaking.
Abdel Rahim further stressed that providing emerging talents with opportunities to engage directly with established professionals and gain insight into different areas of the film industry remains a central objective of Cairo Industry Days. Such encounters are intended to help participants develop their projects, establish lasting professional relationships and strengthen their ability to contribute meaningfully to the future of Arab cinema.
Cairo Industry Days forms part of Cairo International Film Festival’s broader strategy to strengthen its industry role alongside its artistic programme. By bringing together creative talents and professionals from different areas of filmmaking, the initiative encourages collaboration, facilitates knowledge exchange and responds to the creative, technological and economic transformations shaping the global film landscape.
About Cairo Industry Days
Launched in 2018 during the 40th edition of Cairo International Film Festival, Cairo Industry Days serves as the festival’s professional industry platform, dedicated to supporting and developing cinema in Egypt, the Arab world and Africa while strengthening ties with the international filmmaking community.
Through its programmes and initiatives, Cairo Industry Days supports film project development, professional skills training, financing opportunities, international co-production and distribution. Its activities include Cairo Film Connection, Cairo Film Market, specialised professional meetings, training workshops and panel discussions, providing opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange across generations of film professionals.
About Cairo International Film Festival
Founded in 1976, Cairo International Film Festival is held annually under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and celebrates fifty years since its establishment in 2026. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the Arab world and Africa and is officially accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in the category of international competitive film festivals.
CIFF continues to serve as an international platform for showcasing diverse cinematic works, supporting emerging talent and filmmakers, and fostering cultural and artistic dialogue, while contributing to the development of the film industry through its professional programmes and initiatives.
TunisianMonitorNews
