The 46th Cairo International Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday night with a ceremony that blended spectacle and reflection.
The opening ceremony at Cairo Opera House had guests from across the Arab world and beyond walking the red carpet, as Egyptian stars Yousra, Lebleba, Mahmoud Hemida, Khaled El Nabawy and Ahmed El Sakka joined filmmakers and crew members in celebrating a new season for regional cinema.
Festival president, veteran Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy, opened the evening after the national anthem, framing the event as both a film celebration and a statement on Egypt’s cultural continuity.
Fahmy described the arts as part of the country’s enduring identity, “reshaping its present through the efforts of its own sons and daughters”.
Fahmy also used the occasion to link that creativity to Egypt’s broader human solidarity, citing national support for neighbouring Sudan and Lebanon in addition to its long-standing commitment to the Palestinian cause – most recently reflected, he noted, in Egypt’s hosting of Sharm El‑Sheikh peace summit for the signing of a ceasefire declaration between Israel and Gaza.
Fahmy further highlighted the festival’s ongoing film restoration initiative, a project that is being overseen by both the state and the private sector, which aims to restore and digitise Egypt’s so-called Golden Age films that are widely beloved in the Arab world.
So far, more than 1,400 Egyptian films are being preserved and subtitled to reach new international audiences, part of what Fahmy called the effort to keep cinema “a living record of who we are”.
Culture minister Ahmed Fouad Henno also gave an address at the festival's launch, speaking about cinema’s “power to sustain memory”.
He invoked the story of Tutankhamun’s discovery as a symbol of Egyptian creativity enduring across centuries, celebrating the recent opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which he said “restores to the imagination its energy and to civilisation its voice”.
The minister called cinema “the art that allows us to live a thousand lives”, and linked it to peace efforts, referencing the Sharm El‑Sheikh summit and the many untold human stories emerging from conflict zones such as Gaza and across Africa.
The festival’s programme, running through November 21, includes international and Arab competitions, retrospectives and panel discussions.
Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan is presiding over the official feature film jury, joined by Egyptian actress Basma Hassan, Tunisian director Leyla Bouzid, and other jurors from China, Romania and Italy.
Ceylan received the Golden Pyramid Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement, while actor Khaled El Nabawy was presented the Faten Hamama Excellence Award, which he dedicated to the people of Palestine, as well as to the late Egyptian masters who inspired him.
Veteran director Mohamed Abdelaziz was honoured with the Golden Pyramid Award for his distinguished body of work spanning cinema, theatre and television.
The opening ceremony also remembered artists who passed away over the past year, with a projected tribute to Nabil El Halafawy, Samiha Ayoub, Lotfy Labib and Suliman Eid, among others.
The ceremony came to a close with a screening of the festival's curtain‑raiser, Brazilian feature The Blue Path. It served as a fitting introduction to the diversity Cairo International Film Festival promises in its expanded line-up of Egyptian, Arab and international films that probe, in Fahmy’s words, “the human story in all its light and shade”.
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Rugby finals day
Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai
2pm, UAE Conference final
Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers
4pm, UAE Premiership final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
