Ismailia International Film Festival’s Opening to the tone of "In Cinema’s Eyes"
The 42nd edition of the Ismaili Festival International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts will launch today at the Ismailia Culture Palace, in the presence of Dr. Khaled Abdel Jalil, Advisor to the Minister of Culture for Cinema Affairs, on behalf of Dr. Nevin Al-Kilani, Minister of Culture; as well as Engineer Ahmed Essam, Deputy Governor of Ismailia, on behalf of Major General Staff Sherif Fahmy Bishara, Governor of Ismailia. Also Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Editor Manar Hosni, Head of the National Cinema Center, Film Critic Essam Zakaria, the Festival's Director, and a large number of documentaries and short films makers from inside and outside Egypt.
The opening ceremony, to be presented by Media presenter Hala Al-Hamlawi, will begin with "In Cinema’s Eyes" song. Madonna Magdi will sing "In Cinema’s Eyes", lyrics by Tariq Ali, composed by Karim Arafa, and arranged by Muhammad Al Shaer. The opening ceremony will be directed by Hisham Atwa. This song was specially made for the Festival’s 24th edition, where the well-known Irish director "Mark Cousins", the great director and the director of photography "Mahmoud Abdel Samie" and the critic "Ali Mahmoud” will be honoured.
Following the announcement of the names of the jury members for the various competitions, two of the films restored by the Ismailia Festival will be screened. "The will of a wise man in the village and education affairs", a film by director Dawood Abdel Sayed that discusses the effects of free education on rural areas in Egypt; and "Hamed Saeed's Introduction", by Mahmoud Abdel Samie, about the life of Egyptian painter and thinker Hamed Saeed.
About 123 films from 50 countries are participating in the Ismailia Festival this year, including 16 long documentaries, 14 short documentaries, 20 short narrative films, 18 animation films, and 17 student films. The festival also screens 4 films for the honorees, 5 films in the Hybrid film program, 17 films in the very short film program, and 4 films in the portrait film program. Additionally, the festival screens two films out of competition. The festival celebrates German cinema, the guest of honor of this edition, by showing 6 films.
It is worth mentioning that the 24th edition of the Ismaili Festival International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, held from 14 to 20 March 2023, is celebrating in particular the Hybrid film through a number of specialized programs.
Critic Essam Zakaria presides over the 24th edition of the festival held by the National Cinema Center, headed by Editor Manar Hosni.