What you need to know about the 7th edition of D-CAF

CAIRO – 9 February 2018: The Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) 2018 will take place from March 8th to March 29th 2018.

The festival’s 7th edition will contain a group of unique, new and vivid shows. D-CAF events which occur every year in downtown will feature artists from Egypt, the Middle East and various other countries from across the world, performing different artistic work which ranges from plays, films, visual arts and music.

“D-CAF's Art and Disability” program in this year’s edition will host several performances, events and workshops.



The “Performing Arts program” this year includes 14 shows from theatre performances to dance collaborations. Actress Clémentine Baert will enthrall audience members with her theatre piece “So, Is it There?”.



Actress Clémentine Baert in So, Is it There? - Photo Courtesy of D-CAF press office


D-CAF once again presents the latest edition of “Arab Arts Focus” program; after its major success in “Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017”. AAF comes back to Cairo with more than 15 new performances, featuring talents from six Arab countries; Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq, Palestine, and Tunisia.

“Before the Revolution” play directed by Ahmed el-Attar will be featured in Egypt for the first time after touring Europe over the past four months. This play promises a unique performance, with actor Ramsi Lehner and actress Nanda Mohammad.



Artists Ramsi Lehner and Nanda Mohammad in Before the Revolution - Photo Courtesy of D-CAF press office


D-CAF's most unique program, “Urban Visions” will present six public space dance pieces on Cairo's streets. The Australian show, “Trolleys” will feature five exceptional dancers and physical theatre artists, using supermarket trolleys. D-CAF's Urban Visions program will contain four more dance performances.

This year’s Music program will contain plenty of concerts. The festival’s opening music concert coincides with International Women's Day, both of which celebrate women. The concert will feature a diverse and outstanding all-female line up of talented and rising local, regional, and International musicians from different genres.

This festival’s newest program is the “New Media Arts” which will offer seven stunning alternative, experimental and interactive performances with projections, music, and light installations. The Hungarian “Noise Box by Glowing bulbs” comes to downtown along with different other stunning performances.


D-CAF's “Visual Arts” program has been revamped into a mentorship In Collaboration with “Medrar” program. This year the program will be slightly different, introducing a “Meet the Artist” Open Studio.





The “Film and Literature” program this year explores the link between text and image-based storytelling, through a series of award-winning international films that have been adapted from books. Through a master class and a round-table discussion, audience members will get a behind the scenes look into how graphic novels get to the big screen.

Meanwhile, the festival's “Special Events” program offers a series of theoretical and practical workshops for professional and amateur artists.


Artistic Director and Performing Arts Curator, Ahmed el-Attar, leads this year’s programs. The independent Egyptian theater director and playwright is the artistic director of D-CAF and Falaki Theatre as well as the founder and manager of “Orient Productiona”, “Temple Independent Theatre Company”, and “Studio Emad Eddin”. El-Attar manages to move the festival outside of downtown this year by holding the festival’s opening concert being performed in Al-Azhar Park.

The Music Program Curator the talented Mahmoud Refaat joins this year’s festivities by compiling a stunning line-up of innovative and renowned musicians. The skillful sound artist, producer, and musician has collaborated with local and international artists from the theatre and film scenes, composing music of all genres for well over 10 years.

The innovative Isabelle Fauvel curated this edition’s “Film and Literature” program. After having worked at “Flach Film”. Fauvel created Initiative Film in 1993. Since then, she has had the privilege of collaborating up with writers, directors and producers for all types of projects, as well as talent development, talent scouting, subject research in literature, consulting, story editing and insightful advising during the whole project development period.



This year’s performance raises the bar for the upcoming editions, but D-CAF’s curation team will never cease to amaze us with their top-notch artistic, alternative, and experimental selections. The 7th edition of D-CAF will be held in several locations across Cairo from March 8 until March 29, 2018. It is worth mentioning that last year’s edition was a remarkable one which attracted thousands of attendees.