Cairo – November 12, 2025
The evening of Wednesday, November 12, 2025, witnessed the distinguished opening ceremony of the 46th edition of Cairo International Film Festival held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The event was graced by the attendance of a prestigious gathering of stars and cinema creators from around the world.
Prominent figures in attendance included the distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy, President of the Festival; Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henno, Minister of Culture; Mohamed Tarek, Artistic Director of the Festival; the acclaimed director Mohamed Abdel Aziz; and a number of stars including Yousra, Lebleba, Mahmoud Hemida, Khaled El Nabawy, Ahmed El Sakka, and Khaled El Sawy.
The ceremony began with the playing of the Egyptian national anthem, followed by a welcoming speech from the distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy, who said: “Today we celebrate the opening of the 46th edition of Cairo International Film Festival, which I am honored to preside over. Egypt, a land of art, culture, and history, is today reshaping its present through the devoted steps and efforts of its people; these efforts grant us all sincere feelings of pride, happiness, and belonging. Egypt has never forgotten to support its brothers nor neglected its humanitarian duty, which is evident in the support for our brothers in Sudan and Lebanon, and its historic commitment to the Palestinian cause, culminating in the Sharm El-Sheikh Agreement to halt aggression on Gaza.”
He added: “Egypt is honored by its sons in various international forums, most recently Dr. Khaled El-Anani, UNESCO Secretary-General, and Dr. Mina Rizk, Chair of the FAO Executive Council, along with our national youth football team’s rise to the World Cup, and the spectacular opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, to which I extend special regards to the visionary, distinguished artist Farouk Hosny, former Minister of Culture.”
Fahmy emphasized: “Egypt is always capable of miracles and, with its will and work, able to create exceptional moments—immortal cinematic moments in our story, the story of the Lady of Splendor, Mother of the World Egypt, which today begins a renaissance; a new era of creativity, success, and achievement with you at its core, where cinema becomes part of the national project that revives its culture, arts, and dreams.”
He then invited Minister of Culture Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henno to declare the opening of the festival, who welcomed the stars and creators of the seventh art, stating: “We reunite once again at Cairo International Film Festival, in the presence of cinema’s enchanting camera, a camera that lets us enter countless worlds and live a thousand lives. It’s the magic that gathers us, unites us, documenting and creating scenes that history will never forget.”
Henno recalled: “At a pivotal moment in time, the world was presented with a story whose real events were masterfully composed—Tutankhamun the hero, and the child Hussein Abdel Rasoul the main catalyst, the spark behind a discovery that changed history’s course. Howard Carter gazed through a beam of light at the king’s features, created by the hands of an Egyptian artist whose craftsmanship immortalized a moment whose feelings weren’t captured in photography but were later resurrected by cinema—an art that revived imagination and gave history an everlasting presence.”
He added: “Today, after a hundred and three years, the Grand Egyptian Museum returns that moment to its glory, imagination to its energy, and Egyptian civilization to its voice. It stands as a testament to Egyptian genius and unique human ability to breathe soul into stone and eternity into image—a monument redefining the meaning of immortality and opening new horizons for art and cinema to inspire.”
He expressed confidence that “this great monument will be the protagonist of dozens of untold stories, born amongst its halls, drawing their light from its scented history, remaining a witness to Egyptian brilliance over time.”
Henno continued: “The seventh art’s camera will revive further chapters of the country’s memory. As it restored the past’s shine through the grand museum, it will restore the present’s luminous image, embodied in Sharm El-Sheikh, when world leaders, led by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, gathered and peace was the hero, humanity the ultimate goal.”
He remarked: “Thousands of real stories deserve to be seen and told, millions of human tales pulse from the heart of Gaza’s suffering, hope’s cradle in Africa, East and West where tragedies intersect with dreams, born from pain, suffering, fear, joy, and hope—stories that restore human meaning and give life its voice, all depicted through cinema’s lenses, an art that has lived and breathed with us—becoming the mirror and memory of a nation’s soul, bridging peoples across the world with a single language, the language of beauty and humanity.”
Henno concluded: “Today, from Cairo International Film Festival, from the heart of history and civilization, we invite you to explore the worlds of cinema, rediscover the human within us, and make art a new promise of peace, life, and beauty. True art is not merely on screen but lives in the conscience of all humanity.”
He promised the festival’s guests an exceptional edition of Egypt’s time-honored, renewing festival, emphasizing it will be one that elevates “the human,” placing him at the heart of the cause through films telling his concerns and dreams, affirming cinema’s role as a path to freedom and human upliftment, embodying Egypt’s message as a beacon of creativity and enlightenment.
The Minister then announced the official launch of the 46th Cairo International Film Festival.
Distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy then continued presenting the opening ceremony, highlighting the efforts of film restoration: “Egyptian cinema is great cinema, with roots extending more than 120 years of creativity and influence. From this awareness of our artistic heritage came the Egyptian Film Restoration Initiative, which we continue to work on with the Cultural and Cinematic Investment Holding Company through the Film Restoration Center in Media Production City. I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Eman Younis, Chairperson of the Holding Company; Engineer Ezz El-Din Mohamed Ghanem, Executive Managing Director; Dr. Abdel Fattah El-Gebali, Chairman of Media Production City; and Engineer Nada Farhat, General Manager of the Film Restoration Center, for their continuous support and dedicated efforts enabling us to restore a collection of our most important films. I am pleased to announce that we have also translated these films to make them accessible and enjoyable for our guests from all over the world.”
Fahmy reviewed some of the restored films and said, “We continue our initiative to restore about 1,400 Egyptian films, preserving our artistic heritage and great production.”
He then presented an emotional video featuring some of the prominent late artists lost during the year, among them distinguished artist Nabil El-Halafawy, distinguished actress Samihah Ayoub, distinguished actor Lotfi Labib, Suleiman Eid, cinematographer Taymour Taymour, director Samah Abdel Aziz, and finally screenwriter Ahmed Abdullah.
Fahmy affirmed: “The existence of a long-standing industry like Egyptian cinema requires great support from state institutions. I wish to extend greetings to the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Tourism Promotion Authority, Cairo Governorate, and all government institutions whose sincere support and deep belief in the value and role of cinema we highly appreciate.”
Distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy thanked the festival’s sponsors and main partners, including Cred Real Estate (main partner), Fresh (Egypt’s leading electrical appliance exporter), Banque Misr, Spiro Spates Beverages, Lexus, Tourism Promotion Authority, Experience Egypt, Watch It, EgyptAir, Al Arabia United, Saudi Film Commission, VOX Cinemas, DMC, FP7, France 24, Monte Carlo International, Mohamed El Saghir, Sofitel Hotel, Tazkarti, Cairo Governorate, and Salah Diab, founder of Al Masry Al Youm Newspaper.
He also thanked the Chinese delegation and detailed cooperation activities between the festival and China.
Fahmy then introduced media presenter Jasmin Taha Zaki, who welcomed the audience, saying: “Each new edition of Cairo International Film Festival gathers cinema lovers united by their love of this art,” asserting that cinema has always been, and remains, a mirror reflecting society and conveying its image to the world. She pointed out that Egypt, always a leader in arts and culture, is currently living a genuine renaissance in various fields.
She added that cinema is part of the nation’s soul and naturally lies at the heart of this renaissance. While the world witnesses rapid change, and technology has become an essential part of storytelling, Egyptian cinema has a distinctive character that always sets it apart. It is not merely an industry but a consciousness, a dream, and a nation’s memory proving daily its ability to live, innovate, and illuminate the world anew.
Following a promotional video showcasing a number of films presented in various festival competitions and programs, Jasmin Taha Zaki introduced the juries for the festival’s official competitions:
• The Feature Film Competition jury is chaired by director and screenwriter Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey), and includes actress Basma (Egypt), writer/director/producer Bogdan Muresanu (Romania), director Guan Hu (China), director Nadine Khan (Egypt), editor Simona Paggi (Italy), and director Leyla Bouzid (Tunisia).
• The Horizons of Arab Cinema jury includes cinematographer Abdel Salam Moussa (Egypt), member of the Locarno Festival board Nadia Dristi (Switzerland), and producer Karim Aytouna (Morocco).
• The Critics’ Week jury consists of actress Salma Abu Deif (Egypt), director/writer Ely Dagher (Lebanon), and producer Claire Gadiea (France).
• The Short Film Competition jury includes director Boombonsir Mvitcha (Thailand), actress Tara Emad (Egypt), and director/writer Anas Saren (Switzerland).
• The Best Documentary jury includes producer Julie Bergeron (France), director/producer Bassam Mortada (Egypt), and executive director Ola Salama (Filmlab Palestine, Palestine).
• The FIPRESCI jury includes critics Ahmed Shawky (Egypt), Laura Bertoy (France), and Thierry Verhoeven (Netherlands).
• The Best Arab Feature Film jury consists of directors Karim El-Shenawy (Egypt) and Wael Abu Mansour (Saudi Arabia), and producer Rola Nasser (Jordan).
• The NETPAC jury for Best Asian Feature Film is chaired by Pina Paul (Co-President, NetrPAC, India), and includes writer and translator Dr. Ahmed El-Saeed (Egypt) and programmer Céline Rostan (France).
Jasmin Taha Zaki announced the tribute to the distinguished Turkish director and screenwriter Nuri Bilge Ceylan, President of the International Competition jury, who was awarded the Golden Pyramid for Lifetime Achievement by Culture Minister Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henno. In his speech, Ceylan expressed pride in being in Cairo as the chair of the jury, and introduced his colleagues on the International Competition jury, including actress Basma, directors Bogdan Muresanu, Guan Hu, Nadine Khan, editor Simona Paggi, and director Leyla Bouzid.
Following this, distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy announced the honoring of star Khaled El Nabawy with the Faten Hamama Excellence Award. El Nabawy, in his speech, expressed thanks to Egypt, the festival management, the Minister of Culture, Hussein Fahmy, the audience, and the public. He dedicated his award to his parents’ souls, his wife Mona El Maghraby, his children Karim, Nour, and Ziyad, his professors at the Academy of Arts, and his fellow artists. He thanked Egyptian cinema workers and audiences, Egyptian cinema legend Youssef Chahine, director Salah Abu Seif, and director Mohamed Abdel Aziz who gave him his first film role in “Honey Moon.” He finally dedicated his honor to the Palestinian people.
Then, distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy announced honoring veteran director Mohamed Abdel Aziz with the Golden Pyramid for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of his long and generous cinematic career. The award was presented by the Minister of Culture and the festival president.
In his speech, Mohamed Abdel Aziz expressed happiness and gratitude for the esteemed honor, promising to always remember it after a long journey through cinema, theater, and television. He thanked the Minister of Culture and distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy. He advised young filmmakers and cinema students that « the more you give cinema, the more it gives you back many times over. »
Finally, presenter Jasmin Taha Zaki thanked Minister of Culture Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henno, distinguished actor Hussein Fahmy, the attendees, and introduced the opening film—the Brazilian movie « The Blue Trail. »
