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

Former Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, and Disneytoon Studios, John Lasseter, once said, “A gem of a short film has a sense of pure joy in animation that is different from anything you see in a feature film”. Whether he is referring to animation or any other genre, we completely agree with Lasseter that short films possess a certain valuable underrated quality that is non-existent elsewhere. That is why events, like the Shnit Worldwide Shortfilmfestival, make us glad that there are people out there who appreciate and recognise their value.

What is the Shnit Festival? To quote the website’s description,“Shnit is an international short film festival. It takes place at exactly the same time in Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Bern, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Moscow, San José (Costa Rica), and of course, Cairo”. This year marks Egypt’s 7^th edition for Shnit Cairo, in partnership with the Swiss Embassy in Egypt, and the 17^th edition for the Shnit Worldwide Shortfilmfestival which, according to them, has “a new collection of international and national short films that are original, provocative, edgy, and have attracted critical acclaim and recognised for their creativity”. 

So, what is the when and where? Based on the Facebook page, the festival starts on the 17^th of October and ends on the 20^th. The films will be shown at two different venues: KMT  House in Maadi (where entrance is free), and the renowned Zawya Cinema in Downtown Cairo, with an admission fee of 50LE. Apart from the international submissions, several Egyptian entries will be featured, including Turning Ten, Doors of Mercy, A Leaf, and many others. It is worth mentioning that former Shnit winners have gone on to earn Academy Award short film nominations, so fingers crossed!

You can check out our events calendar for further information about the detailed agenda of the 4-day event that will display the best short films from all across the globe.