The 15th edition of the Ismailia International Festival for Documentary and Short Films will take place in Ismailia, Egypt from 23 to 28 June. The festival’s mission is to promote intercultural dialogue for a deeper understanding of others by presenting creative works to the audience and encouraging filmmakers of documentary and short films.
Organisers of the festival are the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, Ismailia Governorate and the Egyptian Film Centre, while the president of the Egyptian Film Centre is also the president of the film festival.
The categories in competition are Long Documentary (minimum 60 minutes), Short Documentary (maximum 60 minutes), Short Film (maximum 60 minutes) and Animation Film. All first prizes will receive a US$3,000 reward, while the second winner in each category will receive US$ 2,000.
Under the themes “Cinema Renaissance’, “Revolution as seen by the Other’, and “Women in Revolution’, the festival is going to screen films from 38 different countries. From the more than 100 films, 23 Egyptian films will be presented, as well as altogether 28 African films, and 45 films which fall within “Arab cinema’. A concurrent theme of the selected films is the Egyptian revolution and the Arab Spring in general. Furthermore the festival will present a special section on classic Egyptian documentaries and short films labelled “Egyptian Nostalgia’.
Besides some special screenings, the festival will also pay tribute to the late Salah Maraey, art director and former festival director. Adding to this, the festival organises encounters and debates between filmmakers and the audience, journalists and professionals. In addition the festival organizes film workshops in collaboration with other film festivals and professionals that provide opportunities for young filmmakers to advance their experience and knowledge.
The Egyptian Embassy in Windhoek and AfricAvenir are proud to announce that Hans-Christian Mahnke, director, and Augetto Graig, board member of the Namibian section of AfricAvenir, have been invited to attend the festival. AfricAvenir is an official partner to the festival.
For further information, visit www.ismailiafilmfest.com
