The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has unveiled the official poster for its 47th edition, scheduled to take place from November 11 to 20, 2026. The announcement coincides with the celebration of the festival’s 50th anniversary, marking five decades since its inaugural edition in 1976. The visual design pays tribute to the enduring legacy of Egyptian cinema and highlights the role of preserving and restoring cinematic heritage in inspiring new generations of filmmakers.
The poster is built around a visual concept that brings together memory and renewal. At the heart of the design, an image from cinema history regains its clarity and vibrancy, surrounded by overlapping scenes that evoke fleeting memories from different cinematic eras. Through the contrast between the delicate appearance of archival images and the sharpness of restored footage, the design creates a visual space where different periods converge, reaffirming cinema as a continually evolving art form whose influence extends from the past into the present and future.
The design reflects the festival’s vision of cinematic heritage as a renewable source of creativity. Preservation and restoration make it possible to rediscover films that have helped shape collective consciousness and visual memory, giving them a new life on screen. This process allows audiences of different generations to engage with these works while offering young filmmakers fresh perspectives and inspiration drawn from this artistic and human legacy.
Hussein Fahmy, President of the Cairo International Film Festival, said:
“Fifty years have passed since the Cairo International Film Festival was first launched. Throughout these years, cinema has continued to bring generations together through stories, images, and characters that have remained deeply rooted in our collective consciousness. When we look back at the history of Egyptian cinema, we recognize the extraordinary artistic wealth we possess and the responsibility we bear to preserve it and pass it on to future generations.”
He added: “We wanted this edition’s poster to express the living relationship between cinema’s past and its future. Every image whose clarity we restore, and every film we give a new opportunity to be screened, opens a window onto a particular era and human experience. It may also become a source of inspiration for a young director or a writer searching for their first story. For us, restoration is a cultural and creative endeavor that reconnects generations and enables cinematic works to continue making an impact.”
Fahmy continued: “I believe that celebrating cinema history is complete only when that history becomes a driving force that propels us forward. This is what we strive to achieve at the Cairo Festival: preserving the memory of Egyptian cinema while simultaneously opening wide doors to new talent and diverse ideas. The images we loved yesterday always carry the seeds of the stories that creative minds will bring to life tomorrow.”
The unveiling of the poster forms part of the festival’s celebration of its 50th anniversary. Through its 47th edition, the festival will revisit key milestones in cinema history and collective memory, reaffirming the importance of preserving cinematic heritage and making it accessible to audiences, while continuing to support contemporary creativity and discover emerging voices.
The poster conveys a message about the continuity of cinema and its renewed influence, portraying the preserved image as a starting point for new imagination and the rediscovery of the past as a step toward the future. It embodies the enduring relationship between cinema, its creators, and its audiences across generations.
The Cairo International Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in the Arab world and Africa. It is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as a competitive international film festival. Founded in 1976, the festival is held annually under the auspices of Egypt’s Ministry of Culture.
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