The 46th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) drew to a poignant close with a powerful tribute to cinema’s role as a guardian of truth, as Festival President and veteran actor Hussein Fahmy decried the world’s inaction in the face of human tragedy.
The ceremony took an emotional turn following the screening of a photograph of the late Palestinian child Hind Rajab, accompanied by a recording of her voice. Taking the stage, Fahmy reflected on the fundamental duty of filmmakers and artists to document reality.
“The call you just heard may at first seem like a scene from a film, but it is tragic because it is real,” Fahmy told the assembled audience. “It is the voice of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl from Gaza who cried out for help for three hours after witnessing the killing of members of her family. Her life ended while the world looked away.”
He directly linked this tragedy to the mission of cinema, stating, “The power of cinema lies in its ability to document and keep real stories alive, no matter how much some may try to ignore them. Hind, her story, and her voice remain present, and children like her are not merely numbers but real human beings.”
Fahmy noted the thematic resonance of the festival’s closing film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, which underscored this message.
Beyond the ceremony’s solemn moments, Fahmy highlighted the breadth of the festival’s 46th edition, which featured a robust program of competing films, restored classics, and industry events. He reported strong public interest in the screenings, alongside well-attended workshops, masterclasses, and a bustling film market.
The festival’s success, Fahmy emphasized, was a collaborative effort. He extended thanks to a coalition of supporting institutions, led by the Ministry of Culture under Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henawy. Additional acknowledgements were made to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Tourism and Antiquities, and Youth and Sports, as well as the Tourism Promotion Authority, Cairo Governorate, and Dr. Alaa Abdelsalam, head of the Egyptian Opera House, which he described as a cornerstone of Egypt’s cultural landscape.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Editorial Staff)
