44th Cairo International Film Festival Reveals First Wave of Film Selections

By Ahmed Fawzy

The 44th edition of Cairo International Film Festival (13-22 November) has announced its first wave of film titles including 10 films that will be landing MENA Premiere in the festival’s particolored sections.
The revealed lineup includes five films at the Festival’s Out of Competition programme, three films, each will be screened at the Special Screenings, International Competition, and Midnight Screenings, in addition to two films at the International Panorama.
The Festival’s lineup of the unveiled 10 titles includes:

1- Alcarràs
Recipient of the Golden Bear Award at Berlin International Film Festival this year, Alcarràs (Spain, Italy) by director Carla Simon, is slated to screen at the Out of Competition section of the Cairo International Film Festival.
The film tells the story of the daily struggles of a group of peach growers in Catalonia, Spain, and how their lives change when the owner of their large estate dies and his heir decides to sell the land, which abruptly threatens their livelihood.

2- EAMI
A film by director Paz Encina, EAMI (Paraguay, USA, Germany, Netherlands, Argentina, France, Mexico) is slated to showcase among the Special Screenings section of the Cairo International Film Festival. The film is winner of the prestigious Tiger Award of the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2022.
The film follows Eami, a child who embodies a bird-god and, in a trance, imagines herself wandering through the forest in constant contact with the cruel reality that surrounds her in the form of deforestation that is a very real, very tangible danger for the Ayoreo Totobiegosode.
3- Tori & Lokita
Slated to screen in the Festival’s Out of Competition programme, Tori & Lokita (France, Belgium) is directed by the two-time Palme d’Or winners Jean- Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The film was recognized by the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year receiving its Special 75th Anniversary Prize.
In Belgium today, a young boy and an adolescent girl who have travelled alone from Africa pit their invincible friendship against the cruel conditions of their exile.

4- Utama
Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s award winning debut feature, Utama (Bolivia, Uruguay, France), will showcase in the Out of Competition section of Cairo International Film Festival this year. The film won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance this year and took home top honors at the closing ceremony of the Transilvania Film Festival.
The film follows an indigenous couple trying to survive in the arid climate of the Bolivian highlands.

5- R.M.N
R.M.N (Romania, France, Belgium, Sweden) by director Cristian Mungiu will be among the screenings of the Out of Competition section at the Cairo International Film Festival. The film is the latest effort by the Palme d’Or winning director Mungiu whose previous film “Graduation” was an official selection at the 38 Cairo International Film Festival.
A young man makes his return from Germany to his hometown in a Transylvanian village, Romania, where his ex-lover lives with their eight-year-old mute son.
6- Butterfly Vision
To feature in the International Competition of Cairo International Film Festival, Butterfly Vision (Croatia, Czech, Sweden, Ukraine) is directed by Maksym Nakonechynl. The film competed at the Un Certain Regard programme of the 75th Cannes Film Festival this year.
Returning home from the front line after being held captive for two months, 29-year-old soldier Lilia discovers that she is pregnant after being raped by her warden.

7- Robe of Gems
Among the festival’s revealed films in the Out of Competition section, Robe of Gems (Argentina, Mexico) by director Natalia Lopez received the Berlinale’s Silver Bear Award Jury Prize. The film is produced by Joaquin del Paso, who received the prestigious Golden Pyramid for Best Film at the previous edition of Cairo International Film Festival.
In rural Mexico, three women from different social classes become tragically involved with a missing person case tied to organized crime.

8- Final Cut
A film by the Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius, Final Cut (France, UK, Japan) will be featured in the Midnight Screenings of the Cairo International Film Festival. Final Cut was the festival opener of the Cannes International Film Festival this year.
During the preparations for a z-graded zombie themed thriller, the shooting crew unexpectedly experience unexpected incidents.

9- Nostalgia
Directed by Mario Martone, Nostalgia (Italy, France) will be among the film screenings of the International Panorama section of Cairo International Film Festival, where the director’s previous film “The King of Laughter” was previously selected for the 43rd edition. Nostalgia was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Felice Lasco returns to his hometown in Naples to look after his sick and dying mother after 45 years of absence from the city that brings back memories from the past.
10- A Far Shore
A film by director Masaaki Kudo, A Far Shore (Japan) will be showcased in the International Panorama section of Cairo International Film Festival. The film has previously screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year.
The film follows the story of Aoi who drops out of high school to give birth to a baby son in Okinawa, Japan. As her daily struggles aggravate, leading to a social downfall, she develops a bond with her son that sets her on a path to find solutions.

Cairo International Film Festival is one of the oldest and most attended festivals in the Arab world and Africa. Furthermore, the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in Paris has accredited it as an “A” category festival, marking it the only one in the Arab and African region on the list.