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FESTIVALS Egypt / Europe

Leonardo Di Costanzo’s The Intruder snags the top prize at Cairo

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- European films did particularly well on the other side of the Mediterranean during the 39th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival

Leonardo Di Costanzo’s The Intruder snags the top prize at Cairo
The Intruder by Leonardo Di Costanzo

The Cairo International Film Festival came to an end on 30 November and simultaneously unveiled the list of winning titles at its 39th edition.

In the Official Competition, European films managed to get their hands on two of the three top prizes. The Intruder [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo won the Golden Pyramid for Best Film, presented to the producer, while the Bronze Pyramid for Best First or Second Work by a Director went to Juraj Lehotský’s Nina [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juraj Lehotský
film profile
]
. Los perros [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, a co-production between Chile, France, Portugal and Argentina directed by Marcela Said, was awarded with the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Best Screenplay. Disappearance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Boudewijn Koole
film profile
]
by Boudewijn Koole scooped the Prize for Best Artistic Contribution, and the Estonian title Roof Knocking by Sina Salimi earned itself the Youssef Chahine Prize for Best Short Film.

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Diamond Abou Abboud, who starred in Insyriated [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Van Leeuw
film profile
]
by Philippe Van Leeuw, a French-Belgian-Lebanese production, was given the Prize for Best Actress. Rouf Ben Amor was crowned Best Actor thanks to his performance in Tunis by Night by Elyes Baccar, a co-production between France and Tunisia. Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir’s The Swan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile
]
also tasted victory, pocketing the Shadi Abdel Salam Prize for Best Film.

As for the Horizons for New Arab Cinema prizes, Raed Andoni’s Ghost Hunting [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
received the Saad Eldin Wahba Prize for Best Arab Film for “its excellent dramatic adaptation, introducing an outside-the-box way of telling the story, and giving the chance for the viewer to interact with the story, rather than directly telling the story to the viewer”, and A Certain Nasser by Badih Massaad and Antoine Waked took home the Salah Abu Seif Prize.

Here is the full list of winners:

Official Competition

Golden Pyramid for Best Film
The Intruder [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
– Leonardo Di Costanzo (Italy/Switzerland/France)

Silver Pyramid - Special Jury Prize for Best Director
Laura Moro - Killing Jesus (Colombia/Argentina)

Bronze Pyramid for Best First or Second Work by a Director
Nina [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juraj Lehotský
film profile
]
- Juraj Lehotský (Slovakia/Czech Republic)

Best Actor
Raouf Ben Amor – Tunis by Night (Tunisia/France)

Best Actress
Diamand Abou Abboud – Insyriated [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Van Leeuw
film profile
]
(Belgium/France/Lebanon)

Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Best Screenplay
Los perros [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Marcela Said (Chile/France/Argentine/Portugal)

Best Artistic Contribution
Disappearance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Boudewijn Koole
film profile
]
- Boudewijn Koole (Netherlands/Norway)

International Critics' FIPRESCI Prize
Killing Jesus - Laura Mora Ortega (Colombia/Argentina)

Horizons of New Arab Cinema Competition

Saad Eldin Wahba Prize for Best Arab Film
Ghost Hunting [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Raed Andoni (France/Palestine/Switzerland)

Salah Abu Seif Prize - Special Jury Prize
A Certain Nasser - Badih Massaad, Antoine Waked (Lebanon)

International Critics’ Week Competiton

Shadi Abdel Salam Prize for Best Film
The Swan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile
]
- Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir (Iceland)

Fathy Farag Prize for Best Artistic Contribution
Village Rockstars - Rima Das (India)

Cinema of Tomorrow International Prizes

Youssef Chahine Prize for Best Short Film
Roof Knocking – Sina Salimi (Estonia)

Special Jury Prize
Cargo – Karim Rahbani (Lebanon/Cyprus/France)

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