Today, Tuesday, November 18, as part of Cairo Industry Days during the 46th Cairo International Film Festival, a special lecture titled « The Poetics of Reality » with Ildikó Enyedi will be held from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM at the Open-Air Theatre of the Cairo Opera House. The session is moderated by film critic Mohamed Tarek, the festival’s artistic director.
This session honors the distinguished Hungarian director and writer Ildikó Enyedi, one of the most unique and imaginative voices in European cinema. This year, the festival awards her the Golden Pyramid Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in recognition of her rich creative journey.
Enyedi is renowned for her exceptional ability to create a poetic cinematic language blending reality and imagination, transforming the simplest human encounters into profound philosophical reflections on love, time, and existence. She has significantly impacted world cinema with a body of work that has become iconic, including My Twentieth Century which won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 1989, On Body and Soul which won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2017 and was later nominated for an Oscar, and Silent Friend, her latest film shown at Venice Festival 2025.
During the lecture, Enyedi opens a window into her creative journey spanning decades, speaking about her fascination with the duality of vision and existence, and her continuous quest to balance imagination with artistic truth. She affirms that cinema, at its core, is an act rooted in empathy and the creation of wonder.
This lecture offers a rare opportunity for the audience to meet one of contemporary cinema’s most important creators and to experience firsthand her unique vision that has reshaped the notion of visual poetry in European and global cinema.
About Cairo Industry Days
Launched as a dedicated platform, Cairo Industry Days supports and develops the film industry in the Arab world and Africa by providing funding, training, and networking opportunities between filmmakers and international experts. The program includes key components such as the Cairo Film Forum, Professionals’ Forum, and specialized workshops. It has become one of the region’s most important professional events, offering genuine opportunities to develop projects and nurture emerging talent.
About Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals in the Arab world and Africa, accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). Founded in 1976 and held annually under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, the festival blends artistic and professional facets, making it a primary platform for intercultural dialogue and strengthening the international presence of Arab cinema.
