7 Films To Compete For International Critics Week Prize at CIFF

After a two-year halt due to political unrest in Egypt, the Cairo International Film Festival returns back with its 36th edition on the 9th of November, and will conclude on the 18th of the same month.

Three new competitions will be added to this year's edition, in parallel to the main international competition: “Prospects of Arab Cinema”, “International Cinema of Tomorrow” and “International Critics Week”.

The International Critics Week is a separate competition, which focuses on feature and documentary film directors in their debut effort or second film, and is curated by the Egyptian Film Critics Association (EFCA), a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). 520 films were submitted for the competition from around the world, and were reduced to 78 selections, seven of which were chosen to compete for the “ Shady Abdel Salam Prize” for best film, worth 50,000 EGP, and the “Fathy Farag Prize” for best artistic contribution, worth 25,000 EGP. The competition will open with the documentary Dancing with Maria.

Tunisian critic Khemais Khayati will be heading the competition as the Jury President, and the jurors include The Hollywood Reporter's Film Editor Deborah Young and German critic Barbara Lorey.