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

Featured image via Zawya Cinema

It’s the momentary reprieve, the hidden walls we hide within to escape from all the stress and pain we go through every day. Cinema allows us to let go of the mashing depression that hits us all of a sudden, and makes us fall in love with all the tiny details it has to offer; different characters, cool action sequences, and exciting plot lines, cinema is real food for the mind and soul. 

With all that in mind, Zawya Cinema is serving up tons of cinematic experiences from all across the globe. This year, and for the third time since 2017, Cairo’s art house cinema project Zawya will be gathering 33 films from various Arab countries for a festival titled Cairo Cinema Days. The festival will start on the 10th of April, and run until the 19th. The festival is dedicated to showcasing critically acclaimed and contemporary award-winning films from the MENA region. The films are set to show at their Karim and Zamalek Cinema, including ten documentaries, four shorts, 11 fiction films, along with retrospectives and classics.

Indeed, the lists of films airing include a wide array of cinematic masterpieces. The program is divided into two categories: Narrative and Documentary Films.

Here’s the lineup for the Narrative Films: Porto Farina – Ibrahim Letaief, Screwdriver – Bassam Jabrawi, Sofia – Meryam Benm’Barek, The Tower – Mats Grorud, Yara – Abbas Fahdel, aKasha – Hajooj Kuka, Dachra – Abdelhamid Bouchnak, The Day I Lost My Shadow – Soudade Kaadan, Dear Son – Mohammed Ben Attia, The Giraffe – Ahmed Magdy, and Look At Me – Nejib Belkadhi.

As for the Documentary Films: Erased, Ascent of the Invisible – Ghassan Halwani, Freedom Fields – Naziha Arebi, Hamada – Eloy Dominguez Seren, Into Studio Misr – Mona Assaad, Of Fathers and Sons –  Talal Derki, Samouni Road – Stefano Savona, Still Recording – Ghaith Ayoub and Saeed Al Batal, The Swing – Cyril Aris, Wild Relatives – Jumana Manna, and You Come From far Away – Amal Ramsis.

Furthermore, and in memory of the legendary director Osama Fawzi, the festival has planned to screen three movies of his most underrated films: The Asphalt’s Ghosts, Fallen Angel’s Paradise, and I Love Cinema.

Hit their Facebook page for more information on the dates and the scheduled screening times of all the films. As tickets are pretty limited, make sure you buy yours immediately. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. See you all there, Cairene cinephiles.