The Cairo Film Connection (CFC), the co- production platform of the Cairo International Film Festival is returning for its 5th edition and has announced that the registration for projects' submissions is now open starting 26th of June until 14th of September.
The Cairo Film Connection (CFC) is held this year for 3 days as a part of Cairo Industry days' first edition, presented by the festival in partnership with the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) taking place from 25th until 29th of November. Cairo Industry Days aims to host more than 80 key regional and international industry professionals' guests and delegates to participate in the various activities organized and presented by Cairo Industry Days.
Mohamed Hefzy, CIFF President said:" I am happy that the Cairo Film Connection is coming back this year after being absent last year. We are working hard to deliver another successful edition and will soon announce the Cairo Film Connection partners and related cash and in-kind awards offered to support the winning projects".
The Cairo Film Connection receives applications for projects made by filmmaker of Arab nationality or origin who have directed at least one feature or short film. In addition, the projects presented to the Cairo Film Connection must be a work of feature fiction or non- fiction, in development or post production phase.
The Cairo Film Connection committee will select a maximum of 15 projects to be invited to participate in the activities of the Cairo Film Connection to offer these filmmakers the opportunity to network and discuss their projects in details with some of the key regional and international industry professionals invited to attend Cairo Film Connection and the festival. In addition, they will be eligible to receive awards presented by The Cairo Industry Days valuable partners, as elected by a Cairo Film Connection prominent jury, consisting of film and entertainment industry professionals.
Film critic and prominent media figure Youssef Cherif Rizkalla, who assumes the role of the artistic director of the festival, expressed his excitement about the return of the Cairo Film Connection and the launch of the first edition of the Cairo Industry Days and saying, "I am happy that the festival is offering this platform to Arab filmmakers to establish a solid network and offer the needed support for them to complete their films".
It's worth mentioning that the Cairo International Film festival team includes Aliaa Zaky as the Manager of Cairo Industry Days and filmmaker Maggie Morgan as the Manager of the Cairo Film Connection.
In its previous editions many filmmakers who participated in the CFC were successful in developing and completing their films, such as Villa 69 (Egypt), Tunis by Night (Tunisia), In Last Days of The City (Egypt), The Return (Syria) and others.
The Cairo Film Connection (CFC) was launched in 2010 during the 34th edition of CIFF, where it proved to be a much-needed platform for Arab cinema and was again held for 3 rounds between the years of 2012 and 2016. The CFC will continue to be an important platform enabling Arab filmmakers to complete their high-quality projects and have their films reach a wider audience.
The Cairo Industry Days is the industry platform of the Cairo International Film Festival, and it will launch during the 40th edition of the festival taking place from November 20-29, 2018. The Cairo Industry Days provides an important space for discussions, networking, meetings, workshops, masterclasses and partnership opportunities between Arab talents and regional and international key industry professionals to further support Arab Cinema.
The Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is the first mobile platform that connects, nurtures and promotes the Arab film industry, bridging it with local, regional and international festivals, markets and audiences. Under the ACC banner, and with the support of our festivals network and film and entertainment database, our aim is to leverage the presence of Arabic cinema regionally and globally, be it at festivals or via distribution and presence of Arabic cinema in existing and unchartered territories alike. Our partners are our best ambassadors, and thus we help facilitate their presence at the major festival circuits, provide them with platforms to exercise what they're best at.
