New management for Cairo Film Festival

Experienced team takes over Africa's oldest film festival

Egypt’s culture minister Gaber Fasour has appointed new management to the Cairo Film Festival, following the recent resignation of its president Samir Farid who stepped down for health reasons.

Farid has been replaced by Magda Wassef, former head of the Luxor African Film Festival, and there is also a new artistic director: prominent film critic and academic Youssef Sherif Rizkallah.

The experienced duo will retain many of the innovations introduced by Farid who is credited with successfully revamping the Cairo festival following the disruption in the wake of Egypt's revolution in 2011.

The 37th edition of Cairo festival, the oldest of its kind in the Middle East and Africa, is scheduled for 11-19 November, keeping its international competition and special sections such as Horizons of New Arab Cinema; International Critics’ Week; and the International New Generation of cinema competition for shorts and student films.

The 36th edition of the festival last November, which was well-received internationally, screened 64 feature films from 30 countries, was better organised than in the past and saw a sharp rise in ticket sales.