Cairo Film Festival 2022 | An Interview

At the recent Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), Universal Cinema editor Amir Ganjavie interviewed Amir Ramses (A.R), a film director and the Director of the CIFF, and Andrew Mohsen (A.M), a film critic and the Program Director of the CIFF. What follows is some of that interview.

Amir Ganjavie, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): I noticed you have films from Egypt and films from other Arab countries in the International Competition. So, I’m curious if you can speak a bit about how you differentiate the categories.

(UM): Well, basically, the definition of our competitions is not really geographical, except for the horizons of Arab cinema, which is the section designated for Arab films. But for the International competition for critics’ week and for the shorts, of course, it doesn’t have a geographical designation. It means, in the International Competition, you can consider films coming from all over the world… even from the Arab world, which has a section on its own. Interesting for that section… this year, we have the “19B” which is an Egyptian film.

(UM): An Egyptian film, yeah.

(A.R): World premiere, eligible. When we saw it, we felt it was eligible and that it will, one way or the other, be suitable for the International Competition. It would work well around the kind of line-up we have for the International Competition this year. Yet, another Egyptian film, another documentary, “Far from the Nile,” we thought that this film would be really suitable to open the Horizons of Arab Cinema. Among the other film, it would create the variety that we want in that section, if you know what I mean. So, basically, it’s relative. Except for the Horizons of Arab Cinema, in which we only program our films. All the other programs are open for films from all over the world, including Egypt and the Arab world. It’s just a matter of creating the variety and the style of each competition on its own.

(A.M): I just want to add that it’s also about the production in Egyptian cinema. You mentioned the Turkish cinema, they have a lot of films per year. And there are other film festivals that have many films from the country. I don’t want to mention Cannes because that French production is huge. But even when you go to Karlovy Vary, they have many films from the country. This happens because they have many productions, many films that are produced per year that suit to be in the festival year. We are talking about maybe 30 films per year, which is not a bad number, but when we talk about the films that might be good in terms of quality for the festival, they are very few. So, usually, I think we [spend] a lot of time to find one or two films, but hopefully, one day we can have many films in the International Competition, maybe an award for the best Egyptian film in the old competition. But until now, it’s about the number of films produced and the quality.

(A.R): As we’re speaking, we produce like 30 films or even less.

(UM): Can you speak about your programming process.

(A.R): Well, we do have a programming team, and we have a pre-selection committee for submission or see submissions from all over the world, basically, for four months, almost. It is the selection committee that gives us a short list that is handed to programmers, and then they can work on it, and we discuss them together, that’s from one side for the submissions. And then, we are always in contact with sales agents, vice sales agents from different regions, always waiting, following up on what’s going to happen, what’s premiering in the next two months, and which festival, what we can have from the line-up, etc. So, we see a lot of films also outside submission. And then there’s a physical traveling to festivals, Cannes, Venice, where we watch films, and then decide, discuss and talk.

(A.M): I think also, we might add that the reputation of the festival in the past gathered this, like, it would make our job easier this year. To have this contact with the filmmakers, with the distributors too, to have them to the festival, especially when we talk about the World Premiere, which is not easy to have, sometimes. But for many filmmakers, it was something decided to that, some of the filmmakers apologize for other festivals or another world premiere here in Cairo. And this is happening because of all this work.

(UM): Now with the Red Sea Film Festival and Marrakech Film Festival happening at mostly the same time, how are we trying to make Cairo competitive and attractive?

(A.R): Well, I don’t think we’re really competing in the sense of competition already. Marrakech is the main competition. Marrakech… it’s a first and second film competition only, which is a different point of interest. The main competition of Red Sea, it’s for Arab, Asian, and African films, if I’m not mistaken.

(A.M): Ah, yeah.

(A.R): Yeah, so it’s not International Competition. Also, I think every festival has its own identity. There might be a few films with a common interest, but we simply talk amongst [each other]… we are usually in constant discussions.

Ganjavie: Do you have quotas?

(A.R): Well, I wouldn’t say quota, but since the festival is a part of the…

(A.M): Region. The Arab region, you mean?

(A.R): Yes. It’s natural because we have a designated competition for our films, and it might mean that we have a certain significant number of Arab films between different competitions and the Arab Competitions, Horizons of Arab Cinema. But also, the festival has, I think, one way or the other, been committed their last years to have a gender equality perspective because of the 50-50 agreement.

(A.M): Yeah. Yeah, I think it might be happening [easier] in the past two or three years because you can easily find good films… directed by women or men. It’s not about… we aren’t looking specifically for films directed by women. And I want to add, that this is also part of the programming team that some of the programmers are designated for a certain part, like, they’re looking for Latin American Films.

So, after all, it’s not a quota, but when you look at the International Competition, specifically, you will find that it represents different and very balanced countries. Which also, it’s not just about the countries, but also represents different schools of cinema and different thoughts about cinemas. This is what we always seek to have in the International Competition.

(UM): And then this year a very special program on Bela Tarr. I wonder if you can say a little bit about the reason that you have decided to have a special tribute to Bela Tarr.

(A.R): Well, for me, I would speak on a personal level. I’m a big, big fan of Mr. Bela Tarr. I’ve been trying to bring him to Egypt on different occasions since 2018. But just invitations to him before, and one way or the other, a strike of luck, it has been possible that year for him to accept to come.

And I thought it is very interesting to have, not just for the tribute, not just for the career achievement. But also, because Bela Tarr is known to have a certain passion for educating, creating workshops, and teaching cinema, I wanted to benefit from that side as well because, one way or the other. I wanted to move from the concept of doing masterclasses, which is very interesting, but yet, by default, it has to be kind of [generic] because you have different people attending. You have the cinephiles, you have directors, and you have the media who want to ask different questions.

So, a masterclass is interesting, but it’s not enough for the industry. That’s why I was keen on creating a workshop. That’s why I thought a workshop would be an interesting change, something that touches the industry directly, and the filmmakers themselves.

And then, when he accepted the film, another stroke of luck when his filmography, his films have been restored this year by a French sales agent. It was a stroke of luck.

(A.M): When you first asked that question, it came to my mind, if you can get Bela Tarr, you get Bela Tarr, of course. It’s a name, of course. We are all happy to have [him]. If you talk about films, you talk about the cinephiles, you talk about educating, he’s like ticking all the boxes. So, of course, we are all happy that he is here.

(A.R): He is our first [sell-out], by the way.

(UM): I should have asked this question at the beginning, because it’s the first year that you come to the festival as the director and you have replaced the previous team. I wonder if there is any kind of vision you’re trying to bring into the festival that was or wasn’t addressed by the previous administration.

(A.R): For me, I admire what was happening at the festival in the last few years. Especially, in the last four years, I think the festival has been creating a good name, taking an important space in the industry. Well, I don’t think I was thinking of change as much as taking a step forward.

I think, one way or the other, back when I used to work at a previous festival, one thing everyone was so attracted to. People always critique filmmakers/industries, they were always mentioning the films, the line-up, and the competition. The line-up we have was Cairo, the number of the films you’ve mentioned before, the award-winning films from big festivals that we were able to program there.

And one way or the other, I wanted to reinforce that part in Cairo, like to add more interest to the audience in the line-up we have. You know, to create, not that the lineup before was weak at all, it was very strong, but to make it even stronger. Now that I always say to them that when I came on board, it’s like the Avengers team, you know? How the superheroes gather to give their best.

No, but frankly speaking, the festival has been taking giant steps since the last four years. And for me and for Mr. Hasin, the festival President, in our first discussion, we said we like what happened, let’s try to make it bigger now. Let’s take a step forward, just like what was happening before him.

(A.M): I’m the old guy here. So, I’m happy about what happened in the past few years, of course, and I’m really [happy] seeing that we are continuing to have the same approach. And that, for me, was very good [approach] to have, because this reflects a good vision from the new director and the new president, that they feel what is good and what’s important to have, and we continue it. That’s it.

(UM): I didn’t ask any questions about the industry section of the festival. How you are trying to, for example, promote films to make them, for example, more suitable for the industry, especially Arab Cinema? I’m just curious if you can say a bit about the industry side.

(A.R): Sure. Well, I think, on our industry side, we have two basic kinds of industry. The Cairo Industry, which is the section that includes masterclasses, panels, and workshops, I think has been playing a significant role in the last years in creating, one way or the other, custom-made content for our filmmakers, for filmmakers from the region, with its discussions and talks.

And then, we have the Cairo Film Connection, which is our platform for the development of films where, yearly, 15 to 16 projects are selected to meet producers, network, pitch in front of a jury, and get financial awards for development or for post-production.

And I think it’s always about making that part even more significant. It’s always about attracting more interesting filmmakers, attracting a larger number of film funds of festivals to meet with these filmmakers. We’re expected to be finishing the film one day soon. I think it’s building a bridge between our filmmakers and the international industry. I think that’s one of our main targets here.

(A.M): Some of the projects that were developed in the Cairo Film connection in the past few years, like Europe and other films, were also selected for other festivals later after they were produced. This is also, I see a good sign that we are selecting good projects, that these films are already seeing the light. It’s not just the projects on paper, they get the funds and disappear. They are happening and they are developing. That’s what we see. And it’s always good to hear that from a filmmaker that I met that producer in Cairo Film… this is also a good sign.

(UM): Yeah, and I see that you have, for example, a workshop on Netflix, and somebody from Netflix coming, “Can I have a presentation?” Is there a kind of connection between you and Netflix or the other streaming platform that, for example, you introduce movies to them?

(A.R): Well, as far as a masterclass, it’s a masterclass, it’s a technical masterclass, involving VFX and visual effects, which is an interesting topic right now, with all the changes that are happening in TV and even cinema in the region, with the new production, even not just Netflix, even with the new platform being created locally in the region. I think the VFX part has been a real challenge that jumps that happen in the visuals of the industry in Egypt and in our world. I think, one way or the other, it makes us think that we need to take a part in introducing new technologies, the new ways of creating that to the Arab Filmmakers. It’s a very important topic for us. As far as Netflix purchasing films with the festivals, I don’t think I remember any stories. Yeah, the festival has always had Netflix films premiering “The Irishman” as an opening movie two years ago. It was 2020, I think.

(A.M): 2019.

(A.R): 2019, yeah.

(A.M): Yeah, and 2018, “Roma.”

(A.R): Exactly. And this year, we have “The Swimmers” in a Gala screening.

(A.M): Yeah. And also, we are approaching other platforms, it’s not only Netflix, because, I think we can agree that the platforms are now the key player in the industry of films, not just TV series. And we have some regional platforms also, which are now trying to open a new market in this region, and they’re doing a good job, and also local ones. So, we are talking with all of them to have us. Of course, Netflix, it’s Netflix after all.

(UM): Mm-hmm. And in terms of selecting movies, do you have any criteria, or something that you cannot accept because of the society or norms? Or is there any kind of censorship that interfere with your selection process.

(A.R): Personally, we are really open. We do have censorship in Egypt, so it’s always about negotiating and trying to make films pass…

(UM): Because I see that some festivals are more open, or the government allows them, for example, to represent or show movies that are not, or don’t seem acceptable to play in the theater. I just wanted to know if…

(A.R): Well, it’s the same here. I think censorship here is more open to films doing film festivals or cultural screenings in general. But yet, it’s always about negotiating. It’s always about managing to make your content pass.

(A.M): We push to have all of the films we need.

(A.R): And to make some offers they can’t refuse.

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