The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Luxor is an incredible city for so many reasons. The small city not only houses an insane number of historical monuments, it is also home to breathtaking views of the Nile and a rich cultural scene. Given all this, it is not really that surprising to hear that Luxor has become the chosen venue for one of the most prominent film festivals in all of Africa: the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF). Indeed, Luxor has been specifically selected to host this festival for two main reasons. Firstly, this city is a true open-air museum. Secondly, due to its geographical position in Upper Egypt, it is relatively speaking a whole lot closer to neighbouring African countries than a city like Cairo.

This year’s edition, the 8th of its kind, is organised –like previous editions – by the nonprofit organisation Independent Shabab Foundation. This is exactly why we are super excited for this edition; indeed, we are always boastful of small homemade initiatives being awarded opportunities to grow and excel at coordinating such major events.

LAFF mainly aims to uphold and secure cinematic partnerships and productions between countries; consequently, the festival has the potential to strengthen ties between peoples of different cultures, races, and backgrounds. Not to mention the fact that it showcases the beauty of Egypt, by placing it on the map of tourism.

The 8th Edition of Luxor African Film festival opened its doors on the 15th of March and will be running until the 21st of March. This year’s slogan is “Cinema, Many Lives to Live.” The festival’s artwork is designed by artist Mohamed Abla, and is the second Egyptian festival of its kind – besides Cairo International Film Festival – to have members of the FIPRESCI jury. The jury’s Honourary President is seasoned Egyptian actor Mahmoud Hemida, and other jury members include, Ramy El Metwaly, an Egyptian film critic; Djia Mambu NIandu, a Congolese film critic; and Klaus Eder, a German film critic.

Egypt is competing with several films: Immobilia Crime Story, Poisonous Roses, The Giraffe, and Youmeddine. Concerning the guest country of honour, Tunisia has been selected for this purpose.

Also, the Local Community Development Program for Talents in Upper Egypt – who earned the title ‘Capital of Arabic Culture’ back in 2017 – will be conducting a selection of workshops on the topics of storytelling, screenwriting, animation, and acting.

Catch the festivals live on dmc TV channel or dmc TV’s YouTube Channel. You can also keep up with all the updates and winners through LAFF’s Instagram account and Facebook page. You can also pay LAFF’s website a visit.