• The festival kicks off on March 28 and runs until April 3,
2027
• A new edition of the Luxor Festival under the honorary
presidency of the acclaimed star Mahmoud Hemida, honoring the late Egyptian
composer Hany Shenouda and the late Cameroonian filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio
Scriptwriter Sayed Fouad, Founder and President of the Luxor
African Film Festival, announced that the festival has launched the film
submission form for its four main competitions: the Long Film Competition
(narrative, documentary, and animation) for films exceeding 60 minutes; the
Short Film Competition (documentary / narrative / animation), with films in
both competitions required to be by African directors; the Diaspora Film
Competition for long narrative or documentary films, dedicated to African directors
living outside the continent who make films about Africa through a global lens;
and the Upper Egypt Film Competition for directors from the governorates of
Qena and Luxor.
In its upcoming edition, the festival also honors the late
composer Hany Shenouda in recognition of his career in film scoring; his work
marked a turning point in Egyptian film music by introducing a musical form
based on blending the oriental spirit with Western arrangements, which clearly
appeared in prominent films such as "The Suspect" (Al-Mashbouh),
"The Street Player" (Al-Harreef), "Hamada and Toto Gang"
('Esabet Hamada we Toto), and "Shams El-Zanati".
The festival also honors the memory of the late Cameroonian
director and writer Bassek Ba Kobhio, in appreciation of his impact as one of
the most prominent voices and pioneers of African cinema, and the founder of
the "Ecrans Noirs" (Black Screens) festival, which has remained for
decades a defining platform for embracing and supporting cinematic creativity
across the continent.
Azza Elhosseiny, Founder and Director of the Luxor African
Film Festival, stated: "We saw well executed films in the Upper Egypt Film
Competition during the last edition, and based on the festival's objectives, we
will organize a workshop aimed at all those interested in zero-budget short
filmmaking, targeting the youth of Luxor and Qena governorates several months
before the festival kicks off, with the aim of raising their skills and giving
them the opportunity to become part of the Egyptian and African cinematic map.
This initiative is not limited to providing cinema arts workshops, but also
includes opening submissions for a dedicated film competition for Luxor and
Qena governorates, whose jury will include members from the two governorates
themselves. This is in addition to the continuation of the 'Daoud Abdel Sayed'
Screenplay Competition, which represents one of the festival's important
initiatives in discovering new talents because it gives young writers a real
opportunity to access the cinema industry. The competition aims to search for
new voices and talents in screenwriting, supporting them and opening the way
for them to present new ideas and writings that enrich Egyptian and African
cinema and contribute to creating a new generation of its makers."
She added: "The festival management had previously
announced that the upcoming 16th edition will honor the great Moroccan composer
Abdelwahab Doukkali, in appreciation of his prominent contributions to Arab and
African cinema through his vocal and musical works that have become part of the
artistic memory. It will also shed light on East African cinema, given the
remarkable development it has witnessed since the beginning of the third
millennium to this day, in terms of production and quality, especially in
countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Somalia. These cinemas
have succeeded in presenting experiences that reflect their social and cultural
reality, with growing interest in issues of identity, women, and political and
social transformations, along with a clear development in production techniques
and methods, which has contributed to enhancing their presence in international
festivals in recent years."
The festival management also announced that the 16th edition
will be held from March 28 to April 3, 2027, in the city of Luxor, southern
Egypt. Submissions will open on the festival website on August 21 and continue
until December 15, 2026, provided that all submitted films are produced in 2026
and have not been previously screened in Egypt.
