Highlights from the Cairo International Film Festival

December 8, 2009

To say that the 33rd annual Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) was overshadowed by the Egypt-Algeria World Cup qualifying match is putting it lightly. The 10-day festival went practically unnoticed, but for attendees, there was plenty to be excited about.

Established in 1976, CIFF is the oldest and most important film festival in the Middle East. Approximately 150 films were shown, but interestingly, only 2 of the films were entries from Egypt. This year, festival organizers honored the new generation of Indian filmmakers with the theme of “Indian Cinema.”

Around 25 Indian movies were screened, with “New York”, a mainstream Hindi film directed by Kabir Khan, being the opener. Honors went to Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan of “Slumdog Millionaire” and Sandeep Marwah. Boney Kapoor, producer of hits like “Mr. India” and “Wanted,” was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award and Subrat Dutta walked away with Best Actor for his performance in “Madholal Keep Walking.”

Also among the winners was Palestinian-American writer and director, Cherien Dabis, with her debut ”Amreeka,” which won Best Arabic Film and Best Arabic Screenplay. The big winner of the night, however, was Mona Achache, who received several prizes for her film, “The Hedgehog,” a quirky adaptation of Muriel Barbery’s “The Elegance of the Hedgehog.” The movie chronicles 100 days in the life of an 11-year-old girl bent on committing suicide unless things take a turn for the better.

There were plenty of well-recognized names at CIFF, including Samuel Jackson, Salma Hayek, and “Charlie’s Angels” star, Lucy Liu. Liu was there to promote her new film, “Red Light,” which highlights the issue of child trafficking in Cambodia, but aims to raise awareness about the worldwide sex trade.

The festival ended with a screening of Martin Scorsese’s restoration of Shadi Abdel Salam’s 1969 film, “The Mummy,” at the pyramids. However, this isn’t the last we’ll hear of film festivals for 2009. With CIFF over, Muslim film fanatics are now heading to yet another festival in Indonesia. Let’s hope that nothing overshadows the excitement in Jakarta.