- When
- 11–20 November 2026
- Where
- Cairo, Egypt
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The 47th Cairo International Film Festival runs in Cairo from 11 to 20 November. This year the festival marks 50 years since its first edition in 1976. It will screen 145 films from 64 countries: 109 features, 29 shorts and 17 documentaries. It is the only festival in the Arab world and Africa with “A” category status from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). The festival president is actor Hussein Fahmy and the artistic director is critic Mohamed Tarek.
When: 11–20 November.
Where: the main venue is the Cairo Opera House, with screenings also at Zamalek cinemas, Ewart Hall at the American University in Cairo, Zawya and Tahrir cinemas, and Vox cinemas at Mall of Egypt and City Centre Almaza.
Tickets: prices and sales dates have not yet been announced; check the festival website.
Accreditation: closed for press; still open for Cairo Industry Days participants on the festival website.
What’s on
The International Competition features 12 films, including titles from Egypt and Germany, Austria, Lebanon, France, Serbia, Japan and Iran. The jury is chaired by Moroccan-French director Nabil Ayouch and includes Egyptian actress Ghada Adel, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, Belgian director Laura Wandel and British producer Paul Davies. The Best Arab Film jury is chaired by Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro.
Seventeen films screen out of competition, including a new work by Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda. There is also a Critics’ Week, midnight screenings, a short film competition with 24 titles, 27 restored Egyptian classics and a new children’s section, Cairo Cinema for Children. Egyptian actor Asser Yassin, screenwriter Medhat El-Adl and cinematographer Said Shimi receive honorary awards, and the festival pays tribute to Italian director Matteo Garrone and Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako.
The industry programme, the 8th Cairo Industry Days, runs from 14 to 19 November with 12 workshops, 22 talks and 37 film market pavilions. It includes Cairo Film Connection, the festival’s co-production platform for Arab films: this year 17 projects were selected, with 31 companies from 12 countries taking part.
