Egypt News: The Cairo International Film Festival announced on 11 October 2026 a programme of 145 films from 64 countries for its 47th edition, to be held from 11 to 20 November and marking 50 years since its 1976 launch, with a new initiative that pairs Egyptian publishers with filmmakers to adapt books for the screen.
Key facts
- The 47th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) runs from 11 to 20 November 2026; the line-up was unveiled at a press conference on 11 October.
- Organisers selected 145 films from 64 countries out of 5,600 submissions, Ahram Online and Daily News Egypt reported.
- Moroccan-French director Nabil Ayouch chairs the international competition jury, which includes Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.
- A new “From Book to Screen” strand within Cairo Industry Days brings in ten publishing houses to pitch literary works for adaptation.
- Festival president Hussein Fahmy said films made with artificial intelligence will not be screened in competition.
What is in the Cairo International Film Festival line-up?
The selection is large. According to Ahram Online, it contains 17 world premieres, five international premieres and 87 premieres for the Middle East and North Africa. The paper’s breakdown lists 109 features, 29 shorts and 17 documentaries, which adds up to 155 rather than 145; Daily News Egypt gives the same three figures without saying whether documentaries are counted inside the other groups. We report the headline total of 145 as announced.
The international competition has 12 films. Egyptian titles include Ahmad Abdalla’s Berleen and Ashgan El-Hamus’s Al Baraneya, alongside Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi’s Strawberries. A separate Horizons of Arab Cinema competition has seven entries, among them Sara Shazly’s Your Daughter. A new Cairo Kids section, curated by Rasha Hosny, offers nine films for children aged five to 12.
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Films selected | 145 from 64 countries | Ahram Online; Daily News Egypt |
| Submissions reviewed | 5,600 (2,100 features, 3,500 shorts) | Ahram Online; Daily News Egypt |
| World premieres | 17 | Ahram Online |
| International competition | 12 films | Ahram Online |
| Short film competition | 24 films | Daily News Egypt |
| Cairo Film Connection | 16 projects from 193 submissions | Ahram Online |
A jury with a Chinese star
Nabil Ayouch, whose films have represented Morocco at the Oscars, leads the main jury. Daily News Egypt named its other members as Egyptian actress Ghada Adel, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, Egyptian actor Amr Fakhreddine, Belgian director Laura Wandel and Paul Davies. For a festival in a BRICS member, the presence of a major Chinese name on the top jury is a visible link between two of the bloc’s largest film markets.
The Golden Pyramid Award for Lifetime Achievement goes to four people: Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako, Italian director Matteo Garrone and two Egyptians, screenwriter Medhat El Adl and cinematographer Saeed Shimi. Actor Asser Yassin receives the Faten Hamama Excellence Award.
From the page to the screen
The books angle is new. Cairo Industry Days, in its eighth edition from 14 to 19 November and directed by Mohamed Sayed, adds a “From Book to Screen” programme with ten publishing houses, Ahram Online reported. Daily News Egypt said it will focus on adapting literary works, citing Naguib Mahfouz and Ihsan Abdel Quddous as examples of the authors whose writing has shaped Egyptian cinema.
That history is long. Mahfouz, the 1988 Nobel laureate in literature, saw dozens of his novels and stories filmed, and Abdel Quddous’s fiction supplied many of the romantic dramas of Egypt’s studio era. Organisers expect participants from more than 35 countries, 500 trainees and 60 international experts at the industry days.
Palestine, AI and a disputed poster
Fahmy, a veteran actor, used the press conference for politics and technology. “We will never forget Palestine,” he said, according to Ahram Online, and Daily News Egypt quoted him describing the region as “sitting on a powder keg”. He also faced questions about the official poster, which recreates the late actress Shadia from the 1969 film Something of Fear. “The poster does contain AI, but artificial intelligence is the future,” he said, while confirming that AI-generated films will not compete for awards.
Our view: the decision to keep machine-made films out of competition while allowing an AI-assisted poster looks inconsistent, and the festival should publish a clear rule. The book-adaptation strand is the stronger idea. Egypt’s publishers hold a deep catalogue that local producers have under-used since the studio era, and a structured market for rights could matter more to the industry than any single premiere.
CIFF is the only Arab and African festival with an “A” classification from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), Qatar News Agency noted. See also our Festival do Rio 2026 winners report and our cinema and books sections.
FAQ
When is the Cairo International Film Festival 2026?
The 47th edition runs from 11 to 20 November 2026 in Cairo, with Cairo Industry Days from 14 to 19 November.
Who heads the festival?
Actor Hussein Fahmy is president and Mohamed Tarek is artistic director. The festival was founded in 1976 by film critic Kamal El-Mallakh.
Will AI-generated films be shown?
No. Fahmy said AI-made films will not be screened in competition, though AI will be discussed in workshops.
Sources: Ahram Online; Daily News Egypt; Qatar News Agency.
