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

Image via cairodramafestival

On August 24th, the second edition of the Cairo Drama Festival took place in New Alamein. This year, the festival was themed “60 Years of Drama” to pay tribute to the remarkable works of Egyptian drama. The event was spearheaded by the legendary Yehia El Fakharani, who was honoured during the festival for his outstanding contributions throughout his lengthy career. The festival was not only a platform for recognising the actors, screenwriters, and directors but also for acknowledging the significance of drama in shaping society and giving a voice to the voiceless. It served as a commemoration of the great works of drama and highlighted its impact on viewers’ lives.

This year, the festival debuted its Starscrapers award; the first one went to Karim Abdel Aziz for his versatile roles. Directors Kamla Abou Zekry and Peter Mimi also got their respective awards, along with actors Maged El Kedwany, Mona Zaki, Menna Shalaby, and Mohamed Henedy.   

Image via https://www.facebook.com/cairodramafestival/

The chairman of the jury was director Gamal Abdel Hamid, composed of stars like Elham Shahin, Karim Abdel Aziz, critic Tarek El Shenawy, and writer Abdel Rahim Kamal. The jury was plagued with impossible choices from the selection of wonderful performances this year. In fact, many actors tied for several awards, such as Essam Omar (Balto), Taha Desouky (Family Matter), and Omar El Sherif (Taht El Wesaya), all tying for Rising Actor. The same goes for Rising Actress, where Rana Raeis (Family Matter), Nancy Salah (Sethom), and Salma Abu Deif (El Emam El Shafee) are also all tied. 

Best Script was tied between Mariam Naoum and Omar Fayaad for El Harsha El Sabaa and El Balto, respectively. Best Director went to Mohamed Shaker Khoder, Best Show to Taht El Wesaya, and Best Actress to its heroine, the enchanting and effortlessly talented Mona Zaki. In fact, it was a big night for the culturally significant show Taht El Wesaya, which bagged outstanding awards across all categories, from best show to editing, highlighting the importance of representation in media. Amir Eid, a man of many talents, snagged the Rising Actor award by audience votes, while Mohamed Ramadan won Best Actor.

Image via https://www.facebook.com/cairodramafestival/

The night was also filled with iconic performances and nostalgia. The show started with a fire show from Ahmed Essam, followed by Medhat Saleh giving a heartfelt performance with a montage of six decades of TV playing behind him, transporting viewers back in time. The event also took the opportunity to honour Egypt’s best storytellers from the golden age of cinema, such as Nour El Sherif, Gameel Rateb, Yousra, Sabrine, and many more. Icon Adel Emam was also honoured, as was late actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, whose sons Karim and Mohamed, received the award on his behalf. 

Image via https://www.facebook.com/cairodramafestival/

Cairo Drama Festival was also a fashionable affair, with stars bringing their full glam to the event, putting their best foot forward while paying homage to the past. CDF this year was a chance to celebrate and recognise the importance of those who built an industry where the new generation can now shine brilliantly and hopefully set a precedent for those after them.