The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) announces the opening of submissions for its Extended Reality Program, Cairo’s XR, returning for its second edition as part of the 47th CIFF, taking place November 11–20, 2026. Applications are open from June 14 to July 31, 2026.
The program returns following the success of its inaugural edition, Beyond the Screen, which was hosted at the Hanager Arts Center and presented seven immersive experiences spanning virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive installations. The first edition was distinguished by a curatorial structure: rather than isolating each experience in its own space, it was conceived as a single, continuous journey, guiding visitors from one installation to the next along a predetermined path, a distinctive and considered approach to presenting immersive media.
Cairo’s XR continues to push the boundaries of cinematic language through immersive and interactive media, presenting works that move beyond the traditional frame and transform audiences into active participants within cinematic worlds. The program expands the conversation around storytelling, spectatorship, and spatial experience as tools of cinematic expression.
Situated at the intersection of cinema, contemporary art, and emerging technology, the program invites filmmakers, immersive media artists, technologists, independent studios, and multidisciplinary creators from around the world to submit innovative XR projects that challenge conventional narrative forms and reimagine how stories are experienced, inhabited, and shared.
The program aims to establish Cairo as a regional hub for expanded cinema and immersive storytelling across Africa, the Arab world, and the broader international creative landscape. This year’s edition centers on projects exploring embodiment, interactivity, presence, memory, and participation, drawing on emerging immersive technologies and experimental cinematic practices.
Cairo’s XR welcomes a wide range of submissions, including virtual reality (VR) experiences, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) works, and interactive and immersive film.
Mohamed Tarek, Artistic Director of the Cairo International Film Festival, said: « Cinema is, at its core, a shared experience, and the XR program takes that idea to its most radical conclusion, where the audience no longer watches a world being told, but inhabits it. This edition reflects our commitment to making this cinematic form genuinely accessible to wider audiences, and to establishing Cairo as a real presence on the global map of immersive media. »
Nora Kahil, New Media Programmer, added: « What struck me most about the first edition was watching audiences enter this world with no prior reference point, and leave with questions they hadn’t expected to ask. That’s exactly where we want to be. In the second edition, we’re looking to welcome works that push that conversation further, works from every corner of the world that find in Cairo both a space worthy of them and an audience ready for them. »
To submit a project and view full eligibility criteria:
https://www.ciff.org.eg/
For technical or operational inquiries:
nora.kahil@ciff.org.eg
About the Cairo International Film Festival
Founded in 1976 and held annually under the patronage of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Cairo International Film Festival is an internationally accredited Category A festival and the only festival in the Arab world and Africa to hold official FIAPF accreditation.
