MENA premiere of Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ to open CIFF

CAIRO - 22 October 2019; The 41st edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) will open on the 20th November with a MENA premiere gala screening of Martin Scorsese’s eagerly awaited ‘The Irishman’ starring Academy Award winners Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci at the prestigious Cairo Opera House.

A passion project long in the making, Netflix’s ‘The Irishman’ is based on Charles Brandt's book, I Heard You Paint Houses, and sees director Martin Scorsese reunited with Robert De Niro for their ninth collaboration.

In addition to the gala premiere there will be a second preview screening of ‘The Irishman’ for festival goers and film lovers across the city on Thursday, 21st November at 1 pm in the Opera House.

The Irishman is an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.

Joe Pesci plays crime boss Russell Bufalino and the rest of the impressive cast is rounded out by Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin and Stephen Graham.

CIFF’s President Mohamed Hefzy commented: “We are extremely excited to be raising the red curtain of the Festival with the epic masterpiece from one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, the genius that is Martin Scorsese. ‘The Irishman’ is a true cinematic experience with powerhouse performances that will thrill audiences in Cairo this November.”

‘The Irishman’ is among 150 films from 63 countries due to screen over the ten-day festival, which will conclude with a gala premiere of 14. Spanning all genres and formats, from shorts to features, there will be 30 world and international premieres and 90 MENA premieres. The emphasis is, as ever, on Arab cinema, with 20 films hailing from the Middle East and North Africa being showcased in the line-up.

‘The Irishman’ will be available on Netflix on November 27th, 2019.