The Cairo Francophone Film Festival concluded its sixth edition on October 7, 2026, with a grand closing ceremony at the Egyptian New Library. The event was attended by a galaxy of stars from the Egyptian film industry, members of the jury, and family members of the honored legends. The festival paid tribute to cinema legends born in 1926, including their 100th birth anniversary, in a unique initiative that reintroduced these creative personalities to new generations.
The festival's closing ceremony featured a surprise for filmmakers, as it honored the memory of iconic figures in Egyptian and Arab cinema. The ceremony included the attendance of family members and pupils of the honored legends. The festival also dedicated a special celebration to the 25th anniversary of the passing of Soad Hosni, one of the most prominent icons of Egyptian and Arab cinema. This tribute aimed to revive the presence of one of the most important figures in Egyptian and Arab cinema.
The festival's closing ceremony included the distribution of awards to the winning films in various competitions. The awards were presented by members of the jury, including Faras Said and Nidal Al-Shafei in the long and documentary film competition. The festival also announced the winners of other competitions, including the "123 Cinema" competition, for which Suzanne Najm Eddine presented the awards.
The festival's activities included several workshops and seminars that discussed various aspects of filmmaking. One of the workshops, titled "What after the dominance of artificial intelligence?", was led by expert Ashraf Mufid and explored the transformations brought about by artificial intelligence technologies in creative fields. Another workshop, "Francophonie VR Lounge", was launched by the festival to discuss film production and presentation techniques using virtual reality technology.
The festival also featured a musical program titled "Cinema on the Strings of the Guitar", performed by famous guitarist Ahmed El-Sayed. The program included musical pieces from films that portrayed the October War. The festival's activities were attended by a large audience, including students and young filmmakers.
Yaser Mahboub, head of the festival, emphasized that the workshops aimed to support new generations of filmmakers and provide them with practical opportunities for learning and experimentation. The festival's activities were widely followed on social media platforms, and it trended on Twitter in the Middle East during the past few days.
The festival's tributes hold special significance as they celebrate the careers of iconic figures in Egyptian and Arab cinema. The festival provided a platform for meeting between different generations of artists and honored the film industry's prominent figures while supporting young talents and new experiments.
Key points
- The festival paid tribute to cinema legends on their 100th birth anniversary and honored iconic actress Soad Hosni on her 25th death anniversary.
