Partnering with the Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI) for the Second Year

Cairo International Film Festival Opens Submissions for Egyptian TV Projects

By – Ahmed fawzy The Cairo International Film Festival’s (CIFF) through Cairo Industry Days, is now accepting Egyptian TV projects in its final development stages to submit its TV Pitch Market that is held for the second year in partnership with the Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI), under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State, deadline for receiving applications is October the 6th, through CIFF’s official website: https://bit.ly/3mDjaeF
Eligible TV projects must be original or adapted from a literary work, made by Egyptian writers/directors residing in Egypt with previous artistic works, and have an Egyptian producer attached to the projects who produced at least one film or TV show.
This initiative is a valuable opportunity for a selected group of Arab and Egyptian TV content creators to pitch their projects directly to Arab and International TV executives and buyers, including digital platforms and production companies.
By organizing this market, Cairo Industry Days aims to select six Egyptian TV projects in its final stages of development to join other nine Arab projects picked by the Middle East Media Initiative to be part of a mentorship and development program led by the initiative’s experts. Through a series of workshops, the selected TV content makers will be equipped to develop their project to eventually pitch it to local and international TV producers, as well as Arab and international platforms and buyers. Cairo Industry Days will also host online pitching sessions for selected projects and festival guests who will not be able to join the pitch in Cairo.
Aliaa Zaky, Head of Cairo Industry Days, said that the Cairo International Film Festival is keen to continue its role as a major supporter of the entertainment industry in Egypt and the Arab world by providing more opportunities for both distinguished film and TV projects, noting that cooperation with MEMI will give content creators the opportunity to directly engage with international and Arab platforms to pitch their projects and discuss ways of cooperation. This is a key role that the festival is keen to present to TV creators, in parallel with what it already offered to filmmakers through Cairo Film Connection.
Zaky also revealed that the summit that was organized during the last edition of Cairo Industry Days in cooperation with MEMI, provided opportunities for communication between Arab TV creators and executives of major platforms and production companies in the world. Those selected participants were able to obtain opportunities to attend conferences and pitch their projects to more potential partners.
The Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI) is a program funded by the U.S. Department of State in cooperation with The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. MEMI develops trainings and creative collaborations between TV, media, and digital professionals in the U.S. and the Middle East.
Cairo Industry Days is a program held in partnership with the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), and provides an important space for discussions, communication, meetings, workshops and masterclasses, and partnership opportunities between Arab talents and regional and international key industry professionals to further support Arab Cinema.
The Cairo International Film Festival is one of the oldest and most attended festivals in the Arab world and Africa. It is the only festival in the Arab and African region to be accorded category “A” status by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations in Paris (FIAPF), with 14 other festivals organizing international competitions.