The 41 edition of the Alexandria International Film Festival for Mediterranean was a big success

The opening ceremony on 02.10 took place at the Biblioteca Alexandrina with a festive celebration with actors like the famous actor Mohamed Mansour from Kuwait, during which Mr. Al-Amir Abaza, the president of the festival presented the Livetime Achievement Awards to famous Egyptian actress Laila Eloui (I met Laila later in El Gouna at the GFF, where she was the jury president) and to the Spanish actress Mercedes Ortega.

 

The evening was also dedicated to child actress of Armenian-Egyptian descendence Feyrouz, her daughter Imane Gamgoum, I already met the previous year at the film festival while she came along to Alexandria with her aunt, famous Egyptian actress Nelly, who received the award the year before.

 

The artistic director of the festival Ghada Chahine selected many films for the festival from abroad. Film producer Chiara Dona dalle Rosé and her son Carlo Dona dalle Rosé came from Venice in Italy with the short film "Mathieu". Directed by Vera Munzi and with Carlo playing 5 roles "Mathieu" is about a young and brilliant actor with a seemingly perfect life. One day, returning from party, Mathieu will find himself having to confront his past actors role, his career and his mother, until he realizes his greatest fear: no longer being able to recognize the boundary between fiction and reality, losing himself forever behind a mask. When he is in front of the last actor we realized that he is talking to himself and nobody is behind the mirror.

 

At the closing ceremony on October 6 French actress Marianne Borgo, who received in 2022 in Alexandria the Livetime Achievement Award highlighted the talent of young actor Carlo Dona dalle Rosé, which should have received an award dedicated to emerging talents.

 

The closing ceremony of the 41 edition of the Alexandria International Film Festival took place in the gardens which are part of the Antoniades Hotel. 

 

The jury of Nour El Sherif Competition for Arab Films decided to grant:

 

 • The Said Sheimy Award for Best Documentary to “Shapes of normal human beings ” (Lebanon).

 • The Egyptian Film Writers and Critics Association Award for Best Arab Feature Film to “CONNECTION ” (UAE).

 • The Best Feature Film Award to “carved by the Wind” (Morocco).

 • The Special Jury Award to “Day Zero” (Syria).Youth Competition- the Professional section Jury has decided the following:

 

• Best Fiction Film: Abu Goudi

• Jury Prize for Fiction Film: Thuraya

• Best Documentary Film: Who’s Still Alive

• Best Humanitarian Film: The Last Message

• Special Mention: UndergroundEgyptian Youth Films – Students Section

• Best Film: Ouddai

• Special Jury Prize: Kastarous

• Samir Farag Award: Wa men El Hob (Some of Love)

• Certificate of Appreciation: Abidjo

 

The jury granted a special mention to the Algerian film “Al SAKIA” for presenting a true story and blending animation with live-action.

 

The jury also gave a special mention to the Saudi film “Distortion” for addressing a globally significant issue.Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film Festival

Mediterranean Feature Film Competition

Faten Hamama award for best actress

*Gresa pallaska - water drop*

 

The 41 edition of the Alexandria International Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries was one of the major events of the city attracting locals aswell as cinephiles from abroad, promoting the city on an international level.