The 1st edition of Cairo Drama Festival to kick off in September

The Acting Syndicate announced through a press conference held on August 1, the launch of the first edition of the Cairo Drama Festival this September.

Spearheaded by Dr. Yehia El Fakharany, the Executive Director of the Festival, the Festival will be held to celebrate Egyptian Drama during the previous Ramadan season.

The press conference was attended by a host of Middle East’s most prestigious artists and celebrities in Egyptian drama.

In line with the direction of Egypt Vision 2030 to focus on art and culture as one of Egypt’s power pillars, the festival is scheduled to be held each September annually.

This comes as an opportunity to reflect the country’s appreciation of art and its enlightening role in society, with the aim of upgrading the art of televised drama and evaluating the series presented during the month of Ramadan.

This step encourages artists to celebrate the successes of Egyptian art, and highlights the role that Egyptian drama has always played throughout history, and its key role in shaping the Arab world’s awareness.

Dr. Yehia El Fakharany, Executive Director of the festival, expressed his happiness with the establishment of this massive event, which aims to enrich art and drama production, the festival also aspires to encourage local talent, which will be reflected positively on the industry.

The festival will be held under the supervision of qualified critics specializing in all fields related to drama, honoring distinguished artists, and celebrating talents who were able to prove themselves on the silver screen, and won the admiration of the audience.

The jury of Cairo Drama Festival competition consists of a group of the best drama artists in Egypt, headed by the prominent director Inaam Mohamed Ali, and the participation of scriptwriter Hatem Hafez, musician Rageh Daoud, actor Ahmed El-Sakka, actor Mohamed Mamdouh, director of photography Mohsen Ahmed, critic Khairiya El-Bishlawy, director Tamer Mohsen, and actress Sabreen.

Commenting on this event, director Inaam Mohamed Ali, Head of the Festival’s Jury, stated that the festival’s management was keen on hiring distinguished figures in the field of drama, including actors, directors and critics, to be part of the jury.

This comes as a step to guarantee the selection of the best TV series, in order to ensure the refined standards of the works being selected, as well as enforcing credibility in selection of winners.

She also emphasized the festival management's belief in the vital role of all the TV series elements, which was reflected through the competition’s various categories.

Dr. Ashraf Zaki, Head of the Acting Professions Syndicate, shared the significance of the festival’s timing, and shed light on the development of Egyptian drama gaining international exposure in the last few years. Dr. Zaki said that advanced production, acting and directing were the reasons behind the praise and admiration TV series received recently, all while captivating the audiences. He pointed out that encouraging and shedding the light on successful drama has an effective role in influencing drama creators to continue to contribute and develop, to entertain the audience and serve the industry.

The festival organizes a massive competition for Egyptian drama, which gives an opportunity to any Egyptian TV series produced by an Egyptian company, or whose events take place in Egypt, or includes Egyptian actors even if a non-Egyptian company produced it to participate.

The competition will be held in several categories, namely Best Series, Best Comedy Series, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Emerging Actor, Best Emerging Actress, Best Author, Best Cinematography, Best Set, Best Sound Track, and Best Opening Credit Sequences.

The festival will be organized by United Media Services as the media sponsor, where POD Egypt, a UMS company, will be responsible for handling the festival’s public relations and event management. The event will be aired on one of UMS’s channels.

Amr El Fiky, POD Egypt, said that this festival seeks to highlight the strength of Egyptian drama, and to celebrate the distinguished TV series that excelled in all its artistic elements.

He also stressed that United Media Services seeks to support the Egyptian drama industry, harnessing all capabilities and providing the logistical and media support necessary for the festival to appear in a way that benefits Egyptian drama, especially with the important role of art in elevating public taste.

The festival’s Supreme Committee encompasses Head of the Actors' Syndicate, Head of Cinema Syndicate, and a representative of United Media Services, in addition to fourteen members representing the pillars of drama, taking into account the diversity of experiences and ages.

The members will be responsible for all arrangements and procedures necessary for the establishment of the festival, facilitating the task of the jury and other committees to carry out their work until execution.