Sahar Ragab
The activities of the 52nd edition of the Egyptian Film Society Festival concluded last evening under the presidency of renowned cinematographer Mahmoud Abdel-Samie, and in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Saleh, Chairman of the National Center for Cinema.
The closing ceremony took place at the Creativity Center Theater inside the Cairo Opera House, amid a large public turnout that filled the hall, with the participation of a distinguished group of filmmakers, critics, media professionals, and members of the jury headed by prominent director Mohamed Yassin.
Praise for the Audience and Calls for Greater Support
The ceremony was opened by Sherif Gad, Vice President of the Egyptian Film Society, who expressed his gratitude to the audience whose strong attendance contributed to the success of this edition, as well as to the jury members for their efforts. He emphasized that the Film Society, with its long-standing history, deserves increased state support for its annual festival.
The event featured a short documentary about the history of the society directed by Salwa Kamel, followed by the festival promo directed by Mahmoud Aboud. Gad also extended thanks to media personality Bousy Shalaby for her continuous support and for hosting the awards and honors ceremony.
52 Years of Cinematic Excellence
For his part, festival president Mahmoud Abdel-Samie affirmed that the festival represents a continuing success story spanning more than half a century, noting that it is the only festival in Egypt that selects its films based on the votes of both audiences and critics. He also expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Culture for hosting the event and to the jury for their objective results.
Honoring Icons of Egyptian Cinema
The closing ceremony witnessed emotional moments as several prominent figures in Egyptian cinema were honored. Veteran actor Mohamed Sobhi was recognized, with the award received on his behalf by assistant director Dalida El-Zahar due to his travel abroad for medical treatment.
Actor Khaled El-Nabawy was also honored, with his son Nour El-Nabawy accepting the award on his behalf, expressing his father’s great happiness with the recognition.
The honors also included actress Salwa Khattab, who described the recognition as a turning point in her artistic career, film critic Tarek El-Shennawy, who expressed pride in being honored by one of the most important cinematic associations, sound engineer Ezz El-Din Ghoneim, and composer George Kazazian.
Actor Omar Raziq affirmed that the Egyptian Film Society Festival is among the most significant cinematic festivals in Egypt.
Edition Named After Dawood Abdel-Sayed
Festival president Mahmoud Abdel-Samie noted that this year’s edition was dedicated to the late director Dawood Abdel-Sayed, in recognition of his major contributions to elevating the artistic and thematic standards of Egyptian cinema and leaving a lasting legacy in the history of film.