At the 46th edition of Cairo International Airport, the programmers of the world’s leading film festival are finding something they rarely encounter elsewhere at film festivals: a film festival where the energy of the market mirrors the energy of the theater. As the regional co-production model expands and the Cairo Film Connection strengthens the festival’s profile as an incubator of projects, Cairo is emerging as an important place not only to discover new voices but also to understand what is important to Arab filmmakers today.
This year’s Cairo Film Connection will be expanded as part of Cairo Industry Days, demonstrating the festival’s growing importance as a regional hub. As funding structures shift across the Middle East and North Africa, with more money opening up dialogue with local producers, programmers are eyeing how Cairo’s evolving market ecosystem could shape the films that eventually land in Europe and beyond. For filmmaker, writer-director Anas Sareen (Gods), Berlinale Generation programmer and CIFF short film juror, the opportunity lies in the next wave of filmmakers emerging through these pipelines. “These structures propel emerging filmmakers forward,” he noted, adding that what resonates most is meeting filmmakers whose “honesty shows in their work.”
Celine Routan, director of programming at Palm Springs Shortfest and Cairo’s NETPAC judge, whose background includes programming roles at SXSW, IDFA and TIFF Shortcuts, sees Cairo’s industrial expansion as part of a broader regional restructuring. She emphasizes that this change is not just economic. “It is important for filmmakers to rely on partners in the region,” she explains. “When producers share the same context, collaboration begins with understanding.”
If the industry attracts programmers, it’s Cairo’s audience that will define the festival’s character. Both Saleen and Rutan point out that what sets CIFF apart from Doha, Red Sea and other major regional festivals is the passionate local audience that fills screenings.
“Every seat is taken,” Rutan said. “You don’t come here to play in an empty room. Audiences in Cairo go to see the film, react and discuss it. That’s really important to them.”
Rutan added that watching the film with an Egyptian audience reveals nuances in the story that don’t surface elsewhere. The ideal film she envisions would be true to its own world, yet open to international audiences, not designed for Western gatekeepers, but not one that would shut them out either.
Saleen, who visited Cairo for the first time, feels that the difference starts with the city itself. “Cairo is a movie,” he reflects. “Everywhere you look, it feels like the beginning of a story.” From its foundational role in Arab filmmaking to figures like Youssef Chahine, the city’s cinematic pedigree continues to shape the way programmers interact with the films shown today. He added that Cairo’s longevity as the region’s oldest FIAPF-accredited festival provides an institutional memory that newer festivals cannot match. “Over the years, we have established ourselves as a leading location in the industry.”
That foundation is now undergoing a generational change. Rutan points out that films directed by women and Gen Z are on the rise, reflecting changes in training, access and local funding. What’s even more remarkable to her is the filmmakers’ confidence in telling stories aimed first at local audiences, rather than optimizing them for international tastes. “Movies are becoming more and more unapologetic,” she says.
Some of that confidence is already showing in this year’s lineup. Ms. Rutan points to shorts like “First the Blush then the Habit,” the kind of films that draw her attention to Palm Springs for their precision and strong sense of voice. As for feature films, she cited Iraqi filmmaker Zarah Ghandour’s “Furana,” which has already screened in Toronto and IDFA, as part of a wave of carefully crafted regional films that move fluidly between Arab and international film festivals.
Saleen sees a parallel movement of diaspora filmmakers reconnecting with the region. He sees many people returning with new perspectives shaped by displacement and migration. “There is a generation that is trying to shine a new light on our culture,” he said, pointing to a new sensibility in pan-Arab filmmaking that he finds particularly exciting.
However, some themes are unavoidable. “It’s impossible not to talk about Palestine,” Saleen recalls. “It’s a responsibility that the filmmakers feel, and one that they’re proud to take on.”The conflicts in Sudan and the region as a whole carry similar weight. He emphasizes that politics is not a branding tool for Arab films, but a lived reality that inevitably influences the work. But filmmakers similarly strive to not be defined by that alone.
These tensions often emerge earliest in short films. Due to the fast production schedule, Rutan sees his short films as a sharper pulse of the moment. “Short films reflect the state of the world faster than feature films,” she emphasizes. But urgency alone does not justify the choice. Filmmaking must stand on its own.
Both programmers consider Cairo a real launching pad. Distributors monitor the reaction of Egyptian audiences, and programmers use CIFF as a scouting location for films that may later be submitted to Palm Springs, Berlin, or other important festivals. “The industry is here,” Rutan says. “Films get featured and filmmakers can make important connections.”
