The Film Society Festival Announces the Opening Date of Its 49th Edition

Under the Auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Film Society Festival announces the opening date of Its 49th edition.

The management board of the Annual Film Society Festival for Egyptian Cinema, chaired by director of cinematography Mahmoud Abd El-Samie, announces the opening date of its 49th edition; it is scheduled to take place between (6-13) May at the Artistic Creativity Center, Cairo Opera House. The awards ceremony will be held on May 20, under the auspices of the Minister of Culture, Dr. Nevine El-Kilani. Dr. El-Kilani stated that this festival is one of the most prominent festivals throughout the history of Egyptian cinema; it continuously provides awards in all cinematic branches. This year, the festival is celebrating 50 years of witnessing the events of the Egyptian cinema during these years.

El-Kilani stated: “the Film Society Festival is one of the most significant festivals which aims at presenting creative minds in that industry on an annual basis in order to highlight its productions. It plays national and cultural roles in an indirect way. In general, it enhances and develops awareness and mindsets in terms of arts, as well as the language of cinema and all arts. The language of cinema is associated with images that affect our nation and the world nations. The festival is unique among Egyptian festivals, for it evaluates Egyptian film production through screening films and discussing them by a jury which is specialized in selection and assessment. Thus, it is regarded as the first regular annual evaluation of long feature films”.

The president of the festival Mahmoud Abd El-Samie pointed out that the upcoming edition will be exceptional. 50 years have passed since the establishment of this festival. Its foundations, regulations and pillars were set in cooperation with the late critic Samir Farid and critic Sami Al-Salamouni. Additionally, he declared “it is considered an annual celebration of Egyptian cinema. Filmmakers, artists, and media specialists highlight the fairness of awards. Everyone respects it throughout 48 years, shedding light on its slogan “towards Egyptian cinema… ”. This slogan is regarded as the foundation for selecting films. Through this slogan, awards are offered for the films that match the level of Egyptian cinema in terms of content and artistic values”.

Furthermore, Abd El-Samie stated “the festival has been respected and appreciated since its establishment. That’s what kept it going all these years. Indeed, it is the oldest festival in the history of Egyptian cinema. It constantly offers awards in all cinematic branches, under the slogan “towards Egyptian cinema…”. The stars of the Film Society Festival are the owners of this slogan. They are the directors, writers, actors and producers of these Egyptian films”.

As for the referendum, 26 long feature films screened in Egyptian cinemas are competing, as well as 4 films that were presented on platforms. 15 Arab feature films -which were screened in Egyptian cinemas in 2022 from 10 Arab countries- are competing for the Best Arab Film Award. It is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Development Fund.