SIFF offers a sneak peek at its second edition in Sharm El Sheikh

CAIRO – 21 February 2018: The second edition of the International Film Festival organized a press conference in the presence of the festival’s management committee and some honored actors on Monday; the committee unveiled exclusive information about the festival’s events.

Prominent Egyptian director Mahmoud Kamel was the only Egyptian present on the festival’s international panel, according to artistic critique and directing manager of the festival Osama Abdel Fatah.




Seif Abdel Ramhman delivering his speech at SIFF Press conference, February 18, 2018 – Egypt Today/Mira Maged


Kamel will be participating in the festival with the film “Dreams I Never Had”, which was a joint directorial by him and Palestinian director Iyad Hajaj. Abdel Fatah pointed out that Kamel is well-known for directing several noticeable films such as “Adam’s Village”, “Mekano” and “Adrenaline”, among others. He has participated in many local and international festivals and has received several awards.

“Dreams I Never Had” will screen in the festival as one of the American independent films among 28 films participating in the international race.

The festival will be screening “I Tonya” for the first time in Egypt and the Arab region in the opening ceremony on March 3. The film is directed by Cari Gillespie, written by Steven Rogers, and is nominated for three Oscars. The film stars Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney.

In collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, Maxwell Stoneman, the U.S. Embassy’s representative, announced that the festival will be hosting the American director and producer Izzy Chan for seven days starting March in Sharm El-Sheikh.

During her presence in Sharm El-Sheikh, Chan will give a master class for rising directors and producers featuring some effective skills and technicalities in the field.

Chan is also a researcher focusing her work in societal and cultural directions. These directions were portrayed in her film “The Big Flip” where she merged artistic and societal interests. “The Big Flip” will be among the films participating in the festival.

The program “American films Showcase” will also include the screening of the two films “Custody” directed by James Lapine, and “Chef” directed and written by Jon Favreau.
Gamal Zayda, the festival’s head, described this program as an artistic and cultural bridge that links between varied cultural backgrounds in different regions.

“I am happy to be honored for something I’ve gladly done throughout my whole life, for myself and for people,” Layla Taher, prominent Egyptian actress, said in the conference. Taher will be honored for her whole artistic journey in the festival. Her film “A Wife is Urgently Needed Now” will screen during the festival.

Prominent Egyptian actor Seif Abdel Rahman attended the conference to shed light on some of the remarkable works of Youssef Chahin, the late renowned director who was known as "the pioneer of social realism". The festival will host a group of seminars and will celebrate the 10th death anniversary of the late director.



Hadil Ali, founder of “Bloom Fashion Institute” will be participating in the festival in collaboration with some Lebanese fashion designers featuring some trendy costumes. Aly expressed her pride in being part of such an international event. She believes that fashion has always been an important part of cinema.

Major General Ahmed Hamdy who is responsible for tourism promotion, clarified the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Tourism to facilitate the attendance of press and ordinary citizens in the festival.