5 months ago
The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the Arab world and Africa. Founded in 1976, it has grown to become a major platform for world cinema, bringing together filmmakers, actors, and film professionals from across the globe.
The festival is officially recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as one of only 15 competitive festivals worldwide. It awards the prestigious Golden Pyramid to the best films in its international competition.
A NAAS delegation participated at the 46th Cairo International Film Festival in October 2025 by hosting a workshop on programming featuring Muhammad Amin (Wekalet Behna), Hanna Atallah (Filmlab Palestine), and Nawara Shoukry (Zawya Cinema). The session reframed programming as a community-building act, and addressed the operational challenges of independent exhibition in the region.
NAAS delegates also participated in several panels spanning a variety of pivotal filmmaking and distribution topics, and were present at the NAAS booth in the film market.
The Network of Arab Alternative Screens presents a workshop on programming and how it is practiced across the network, bringing together perspectives from Alexandria, Palestine, and Cairo. The workshop will feature presentations by three members of the network, followed by an open one-on-one Q&A session where participants can consult with the speakers and discuss their questions and challenges directly.
Theme 1: Programming as a Cultural and Social Act with Mohammed Amin - Head Curator at Wekalet Behna (Egypt)
Programming as an interactive process with the audience, not merely a selection of films.
How programming contributes to creating an independent and sustainable cultural space.
Mohammed Amin is a researcher and curator, he has extensive experience in organizing cultural events in Alexandria. And could share the Behna way of doing things, including establishing a relationship with their community and audiences.
Theme 2: Film Programming as a Tool for Education and Diversity with Hanna Atallah - Founder and Artistic Director, Film Lab Palestine (Palestine)
Film Lab Palestine’s approach to programming films for children and youth.
Working across different Palestinian regions and addressing geographic and social diversity.
The role of cinema in amplifying marginalized voices and representing invisible stories.
Hanna Atallah is a filmmaker, producer, and cultural manager based in Berlin and Jerusalem. He founded Filmlab Palestine, co-founded August Films, and directs the Palestine Cinema Days festival. Atallah plays a key role in developing Palestinian cinema, focusing on stories that amplify marginalized and underrepresented voices. He will specifically deliver a segment on film programming for children and youth and share how they do it in Film Lab Palestine across the Palestinian territories.
Theme 3: Independent Programming and Cinema Management with Nawara Shoukry - Head of programs, Zawya Cinema (Egypt)
Zawya Cinema’s experience in organizing a program of mainstream and independent screenings.
The daily challenges of managing an independent cinema in a large city.
Strategies for balancing artistic taste with the need to attract a broad audience.
Nawara Shoukry is head of programs at Zawya Cinema, she runs the daily operations of the cinema, and the programming of its public program.
Closing Session: Open Discussion and One-on-One Consultations
Group discussion on the similarities and differences in practices across the network.
One-on-one consultation sessions (10–15 minutes per participant) with the speakers.
Summary of key lessons and insights, and a call for future collaboration across the network.
© Cairo Film Festival
One member of our network, Tamer El-Said (Cimatheque - Alternative Film Centre, Egypt) took part into a panel discussion on Digital Restoration: Reviving the Visual Heritage of Arab Cinema, held at the Cairo Opera's open-air theatre, alongside CIFF President Hussein Fahmy, director, Stefanie Schulte Strathaus, and sound specialist and filmmaker Ossen El Sawaf. The moderation was done by Egyptian filmmaker Maggie Morgan.
Restoration is an activation of heritage and a creation of dialogue around it. Traditionally, Arab films were restored in Western institutions, which were linked to reclaiming and controlling the narrative. In our view, restoration is a cultural act through which we reclaim the narratives of our own culture — Tamer El-Said (Source : CIFF 2025: Digital restoration breathes new life into Arab Cinema’s visual heritage Ati Metwaly on ahram online)
© NAAS
