The Luxor African Film Festival will honor the centenary of the late artist Fouad El Mohandes (1924-2006) during its thirteenth edition, which starts next week with the participation of more than 50 films from about 20 countries. Screenwriter Said Fouad, the founder and president of the festival, stated in a press conference on Friday that the tribute to Fouad El Mohandes comes "as he is considered one of the most important icons of comedy in the film industry."
This edition of the festival will also honor Egyptian director Khairy Beshara, Moroccan director Hassan Benjelloun, Egyptian actor Hassan El Raddad, Egyptian actress Amy Samir Ghanem, Egyptian producer Gabi Khouri, and Burkinabe actress Aya Keita Yara. The thirteenth edition will take place from February 9 to 15 under the slogan "Africa: All Colors," with Mali as the "guest of honor" in celebration of the 50th anniversary of its film industry.
The feature film competition will include 12 films, both narrative and documentary, including the Egyptian film "Journey 404," starring Mona Zaki and directed by Hani Khalifa. The short film competition will feature 14 films from Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Senegal, Sudan, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Congo, and Rwanda.
In the "Diaspora" section aimed at African directors or those of African descent living outside the continent, the festival will showcase five films, along with another five films in the out-of-competition section, while the "Student Films" section will include 12 films. This edition will celebrate Moroccan cinema by screening four films in the "Panorama of Moroccan Cinema" and five films by director Khairy Beshara.
In parallel with the film screenings, the festival will organize a workshop on writing short film scripts in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, in addition to ten training workshops on acting, film scoring, set design, and documentary filmmaking. The "Producers' Platform," established last year to facilitate communication between producers and filmmakers and to exchange experiences across the continent, will include four seminars and two lectures by director Khairy Beshara and producer Gabi Khouri.
