10 Egyptian Shorts Heading to Cannes Film Festival

The world renowned Cannes International Film Festival is just around the corner, and often comes and goes with very few, if any, films from Egypt. Looking to showcase the resurgence in Egyptian filmmaking, this year’s Cannes International Film Festival will feature not one, but 10 Egyptian short films.

Taking place between 13^th and the 24^th May, the Cannes International Film Festival will be screening 2,394 shorts across several locations as part of their Shorts Corner schedule. Representing Egypt are 10 entries, mainly in the documentary or drama genres. Also making the list is animated film Tarot, currently making headlines. The only short making its world premier is Waleed Al-Arrab’s El Kalema El-Akhera.

The rest of the shorts schedule to be screened include;

- Closed Doors by Amr Fouad, 13 mins (February 2015)
- Al-Awda by Nevine Shalaby 11 mins (June 2014)
- Pyramids Hostel by Thierry Lledo, 19 mins (Egypt, France, April 2015)
- Tarot by Ahmed Roshdy, 7 mins (June 2014)
- El-Kalema El-Akhera by Waleed Al-Arrab, 15 mins (October 2014)
- El-Darwish by Khaled Mansour, 15 mins (March 2015)
- El-Fatenah by Maggie Anwer, 15 mins (February 2015)
- Helwan...I by Mohamed Adel El-Safty, 15 mins (Egypt, France, March 2014)
- Tahra's Life by Moahand Diab, 9 mins (January 2015)
- Sukkar Abyad by Ahmed Khaled, 13 mins (November 2014)

Sadly, all the Egyptian shorts will be screened outside of the competition and will not be vying for the Palm d’Or for shorts. That competition will only be screening nine films including seven works of fiction and two animations. Representing the Arab world in pursuit for the coveted award is Basil Khalil’s Ave Maria (Palestine, France, Germany) and Ely Dagher’s Waves ’98.

Judging the competition are a variety of diverse professionals in their fields including; international filmmakers Joana Hadjithomas (Lebanon), director Rebecca Zlotowski (France), actress Cécile de France (Belgium) and actor Daniel Olbrychski (Poland).