16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Film critic Mohamed Tarek named artistic director of Cairo Int'l Film Festival - Screens - Arts & Culture
Actor Hussein Fahmy, president of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), announced that film critic, festival programmer, and cultural manager Mohamed Tarek has been appointed the artistic director of the festival's 46th edition.
Fahmy announced this during his participation in the ongoing Berlin International Film Festival — Berlinale (13-23 February).
He added that this move is part of the early preparations for the CIFF's 46th edition. This marks Tarek's first official artistic director task after serving as the deputy artistic director.
Tarek graduated from the Locarno Industry Academy in Beirut and the Durban Talents programme.
He has worked as a short film programmer at the CIFF, Dublin International Film Festival, El Gouna Film Festival, and Manassat Film Festival.
Moreover, he served as the Cinema for Development Project Manager at El Nahda Association (Jesuit Cairo).
Tarek has a broad and impactful presence in the film industry, having worked as a Selection Committee member for the Durban Film Content Shop, consultant for MedFest Egypt, and advisor to the Goethe Institute Cairo.
He has also been a member of multiple prestigious juries, including the 65th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (2022), the 9th African Film Festival Luxor (2020), and the 4th Amman International Film Festival (2023).
Additionally, he was a member of the Arab Cinema Centre jury for Best European Film.
Tarek authored important research, including "Shaping the Narrative: Women at the Heart of the Amman Film Festival," published during the 4th Amman International Film Festival, and "On Family and Motherhood," published during the 65th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film.
He is also a member of the Egyptian Film Critics Association, further solidifying his influence and expertise within the international film community.
Tarek will replace Egyptian critic Essam Zakaria, who served as the festival's artistic director in its 45th edition (2024).
The Cairo International Film Festival, founded in 1976, is one of the region's most prestigious film festivals and the only one in the Arab world and Africa accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).
The dates of the CIFF's 46th edition are yet to be revealed.
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