The 46th Cairo International Film Festival was conducted in the capital city of Egypt from the 12th to 21st Nov 2025. This was the second year that a NETPAC Jury had been invited and it is collaboration that is worth maintaining and cultivating.
The festival program contained about 140 films (including shorts) and a parallel Market Section ‘Cairo Industry Days’ which was into it’s fifth edition.
The NETPAC Jury watched 10 films from across Asia. The selection was quite quirky inasmuch as there were films of different sensibilities…from the extreme experimental, to straight narratives to documentaries. There was good representation from across Asia. The filmmakers who had been selected for the NETPAC slate were all young upcoming directors and represented fresh voices from their countries. Homebound by Neeraj Ghwyan from India, The Botanist from China, Sand City directed by Mahde Hasan from Bangladesh, a very experimental film ‘Fools on Fire’ from Japan. etc It was interesting to see technology giving rise to new new narrative forms. Many of the films were shot in a free flowing manner with a camera often following and moving very close to characters. Traditional editing techniques are replaced by an ease with the medium, a sense that a visual familiarity among younger audiences of visual story telling. Films were all pacey, with handheld cameras, and interesting sound tracks. The two documentaries were also told more as narrative fiction stories, weaving stories around the real characters and situations. The Jury unanimously chose the film The Botanist which told the coming of an age story with sensitivity and a subtle political lens.
One of the highlights of the program at the Festival is the screening of 10 Restored Egyptian films. The films created a lot of interest among the audience, reviving an interest and pride in the history of the local cinema. The large number of films from the Arab regions and especially from Palestine was another highlight. The screening of the film ‘Who is still alive?’ had the six protagonists present. These were persons who had escaped from Gaza after the war. It was extremely emotional hearing their stories. Another interesting element in the Arab program were films that revisited the history of cinema in these regions. The documentary Anti Film by Ali Saeed from Saudi Arabia on the History of film in Saudi Arabia and Habibi Hussein directed by Alex Bakri about a cinema house and its projectionist in Jenin. Anti -Film used rare archival footage to tell its story. ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ screened in Venice where it received a ten minute ovation was screened to a similar reaction here at the Closing Night. In deference to the tragic story of the closing film, there were no celebrations after the closing and award ceremonies.
For NETPAC this is an important collaboration and we should be nurtured.
Bina Paul (Jury Chairperson and NETPAC Jt. President)
NETPAC Jury:
Bina Paul (India) NETPAC member
Dr. Ahmed Saeed (Egypt)
Celine Roustan (France)