Sheraton Montazah Hosts 34th Alexandria International Film Festival

Held in one of the most splendid landmarks of the Mediterranean city, the Sheraton Montazah Hotel, the Alexandria International Film Festival took place on October 3 at the hotel overlooking the enchanting Montazah Palace gardens. Most if not all Alexandrians are familiar with Sheraton Montazah being the main spot for the annual festival. “I used to come to the hotel with my parents as a young girl to say hi to celebrities and take pictures” says Soha Shaban, now 35.

After more than 10 years of absence, Sheraton Montazah management team and staff were delighted to host the 34th round of the festival, making everyone feel welcome with the hotel’s friendly and pleasant ambiance. “We are very pleased to host Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries, for its 34 round among est other hotels in town after 10 years of absence. The festival in itself is a symbol of how Egyptians have been in love and interested in arts and culture since forever, along with the superb location overlooking the blue azure of the Mediterranean Sea and the hotel’s exquisite cuisine” said Heba Abou El Ella, Director of Public Relations & Marketing, Sheraton Montazah.

Organizing and managing the festival’s film screenings, meetings, reviews and talks, Sheraton Montazah made it easily accessible for guests, actors and journalists to freely move around the hotel, and for people to take picture with celebrities, providing both a neatly organized and a warm homey atmosphere.

“We are delighted to host this great international event for its 34 session amongst others hotels in town. It shows how far and well Egyptians are in love and interested in arts and culture that they’re raised up with since decades and we are totally ready this year to receive all festival guests and arbitrators with the friendliness, warm hospitality of hotel staff and the quality service offered in all operational areas” said Islam Mahrous, Sheraton Montazah Hotel Manager.

Held under the umbrella of the Egyptian Association for Film Writers and Critics and its director Al-Amir Abaza, the festival included 85 films which from 25 countries such as Morocco, Palestine, France, Switzerland, Greece, Albania, Slovenia and Croatia, which were played at the hotel’s screening halls named after renowned actress Nadia Lotfy and Farouk El-Fishawy who announced he is fighting cancer during the festival’s opening ceremony, stating “there is always hope at the end of the tunnel”.

The festival was held in collaboration with Bibliotheca Alexandrina where the opening and closing ceremonies took place, under supervision of the Minister of Culture Dr. Inas Abdel Dayem and the Governor of Alexandria, Dr. Abdel Aziz Konsowa. The closing ceremony held on October 8th at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina paid a tribute to late actor Nour El Sherif with the attendance of his wife renowned actress Poussy. The ceremony was presented by the Alexandrian Actress Wafaa Amer, other stars attending included Fifi Abdou who greeted the audience with her famous “5 kisses”, Mahmoud Hemeida, Lebleba, Layla Olwi and Syrian Actress Sabah Al Jazairi.

Winning Best Film in the festival’s official competition for long films of Mediterranean countries, The Syrian film Dimashq – Halab (Damascus-Aleppo) played by the 84 year old prominent comedian Duraid Lahham who has not appeared in movies since 2006, the film “sums up the Syrian society in which there is good and evil” as he stated in several interviews. Receiving the award himself and chanting for Syria and Egypt ‘Tahya Masr w Soreya’, Lahham expressed “it such an honor to be here today, part of this joyful festival, Egypt and Syria have always been one”.