The Luxor African Film Festival is organized by the Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF) with the support of the Ministries of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Youth and Sports, and Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Syndicate of Film Professions, Luxor Governorate, and with the sponsorship of the National Bank of Egypt.

The activities of the 11th Edition of the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) will be held during the period from 4 to 10 March 2022, under the slogan “Rediscovering Egypt”.

Scriptwriter Sayed Fouad, founder and president of Luxor African Film Festival, stated Uganda is chosen as the guest of honour, in honor of the Ugandan cinema due to its industry development, its expansion and high distribution outside its borders with compelling films and ambitious young generations struggling to develop the Ugandan cinema.

Scriptwriter Sayed Fouad was delighted to announce Mahmoud Hemida’s acceptance to continue his role as LAFF’s honorary president, convinced that LAFF plays an important role in supporting the relationship between Egypt and African countries via cinema.

Director Azza Elhosseiny, cofounder and director of the festival, stated that LAFF had to abide by its official fixed date, announcing the Call for films in the competition sections.

The Festival Poster  

The poster of the 11th Edition of the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) was designed by the Egyptian artist Mahmoud Ismail, who depicted a fusion between modernity and technological development in the film industry.

The visual elements in the poster have been designed to reflect cinema through the shape of two hands forming a film frame with some additional accessories expressing the Egyptian identity and African countries. The sun them comes as one of the symbols of ancient Egyptian civilization as its colors show the distinctive youth spirit of the festival.

The Festival Slogan

The slogan of the 2022 edition is "Rediscovering Egypt", which aims to showcase the Egyptian heritage to all filmmakers in the world. This vision comes in parallel with two Egyptian celebrations:

First, the 100th anniversary of the great discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings, the capital of ancient Egypt, discovered by British Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922.

Second, the bicentenary of the decoding of the ancient Egyptian language from the Rosetta Stone by the French Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion in 1822.

The festival aims to discuss the methodologies and mechanisms of attracting international film production, and therefore the slogan "Rediscovering Egypt" is reflected in the program of the Luxor African Film Festival 2022 and its parallel activities by presenting an Egyptian and international film program that was filmed in archaeological sites in Egypt as well as a special film program showing landmark films directed by the late Egyptian director Shadi Abdel Salam.

Luxor African Film Festival releases its 11th edition under the name of the great Senegalese director Djibril Diop Mambéty

Scriptwriter Sayed Fouad, President of Luxor African Film Festival, stated that this year’s edition of LAFF will bear the name of the late Senegalese director Djibril Diop Mambéty (1945 - 1998), a director, actor, poet and musician, who presented feature films, both long and short, which carried the concerns of the African continent and received great international recognition in view of his quest to expose an African identity.

Director Azza Elhosseiny, director of the festival, stated that the festival has invited Teemour Mambety, son of the great director, to receive the award on behalf of his father and also to participate in a symposium dedicated to Mambety's life and work.

The management of the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF), decided to dedicate its 11th edition that will be held from March 4 to 10, 2022, to the memory of three great African artists: the late Egyptian star Mahmoud Morsi, a brilliant actor with outstanding performances in both film and TV, the late  and great Moroccan director Mohamed Ismail, a cinema pioneer, and the late Egyptian star Hoda Sultan, a legendary actor and singer with a unique and long career in cinema, theater, television and radio.

Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) publishes six books and other publications related to the 11th session program

The first book is entitled “Ten Women in One", written by leading Egyptian film critic Kamal Ramzi, on the late Egyptian star Hoda Sultan.

 The second book is an authorized biography of the Egyptian star Hussein Fahmy, written by the critic Ahmed Shawky. 

The third book is about the great filmmaker and African film expert Férid Boughedir covering his distinguished journey and his most important works.

The fourth book is about the late Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty by Senegalese critic Nadjibou Sagna, writtenin French and translated into Arabic.

The fifth book is about the late great director Shadi Abdeslam, is written by Dr. Mervat Kamouni and translated into Arabic by Tunisian director Mahmoud Jemni.

The sixth book is entitled the same name of the festival's slogan, written by a group of writers in both Arabic and English.

This is in addition to other publications and special files related to the 11th session program.

The Honoree

Director Appoline Traore

Luxor African Film Festival announces the honoring of director Appoline Traore from Burkina Faso during the opening ceremony of its 11th edition.

Appoline Traore was born in 1976, and worked as an assistant director with the great Burkinabe filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo, presenting many short fiction films, as well as her film “Kounandi” which participated in Toronto International Film Festival in 2003. Traore also presented long feature films, including “Sous La Clarté de La Lune” and “Desrances” starring Jimmy Jean-Louis, which achieved many awards, including the Best Film Award in the Diaspora competition at the Luxor African Film Festival, and she presented several successful TV series in her home country, Burkina Faso.

The Egyptian Star Amr Saad

The festival also will award the Egyptian star Amr Saad, who was born in the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood in 1977 and graduated from the Decoration Department at the Faculty of Applied Arts.

Amr Saad began his acting career through theatrical and television experiences, presenting two supporting roles in the films (Al Madina) with director Yousry Nasrallah, and (Al Akhar) by Youssef Chahine.

After that, his cinematic work continued, the most important of which was the 2007 movie (Hein Maysara), followed by the movie (Dokan Shehata) with director Khaled Youssef, and then he continued his cinematic achievements through the movie (Al Kebar) in addition to the two films (Hadid) and (Regatta), through which he collaborated with the producer Muhammad Al-Sobki, and the movie (Mawlana), adapted from a novel of the same name by journalist Ibrahim Issa. He, also, starred in television dramas since 2010, and the first series of his starring was (Mamlaket Al Gabal), in addition to the first and second parts of the series (Sharea Abdelaziz), in addition to the two series (Khorm Ebra) and (Weld Fadda) and his latest work was (Melouk El Gada’ana) series.

The star Amr Saad won many awards, but the most important of which is the Best Actor Award for the role of Sheikh Hatem in the movie “Mawlana” from several festivals, including: Luxor African Film Festival, Alexandria Film Festival, Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival in Morocco, Catholic Center for Cinema.

The great Egyptian Star Hussein Fahmy

The festival also will grant the great Egyptian star Hussein Fahmy the "Lifetime Achievement  Award” for his various works throughout his long journey in Egyptian cinema, which began after he finished his studies at the Higher Institute of Cinema, acting department in 1963. Fahmy studied Film directing in the United States of America at the University of California, where he presented more than 125 films. He, also, worked with major directors in Egypt, where his films achieved great public and commercial success. Fahmy also chaired Cairo International Film Festival's board of directors for a while.

The Algerian Artist Biyouna

The festival also will award the Biyouna, who is an Algerian singer, dancer and actress, born in 1954. She is a truly original artist, who is not only a star in Algeria, but a very popular figure amongst the Algerian community in France.

She started her acting career when the director Mustapha Badie gave her a singing part in his first soap opera, La Grande Maison (1973), where she played Fatma. This show was adapted from a novel by Mohamed Dib. She became well-known thanks to this role.

She appeared in two Algerian films: Leila and the others, by Sid Ali Mazif in 1978, and The Neighbor, by Ghaouti Bendedouche in 2000. She also performed some one-woman shows. In 1999, Nadir Moknèche offered her the role of Meriem in Madame Osmane's Harem which she produced in France. This film was followed by Viva Laldjéri in 2003.

Between 2002 and 2005, Biyouna had success with a trilogy based on the theme of Ramadan called 'Nass Mlah City.''

She appeared in the last film of Nadir Moknèche, Délice Paloma, where she played the main character, a mafiosa named Madame Aldjeria. In 2006 she performed the role of Coryphée in Sophocles' Elektra beside Jane Birkin in an opera directed by Philippe Calvaio. In 2007 she had a small role in the Algerian film Rendez-vous avec le destin.

In 2009, she played La Celestina at the Vingtième Théâtre in Paris. For Ramadan, 2010, Biyouna was one of the stars in a sitcom broadcast on Nessma TV, Nsibti Laaziza.

The Tunisian Director Férid Boughedir

The festival also will award the Director, critic and film historian Férid Boughedir, who was born in 1944 in Hammam Lif, Tunisia. He is a long time critic, one of Africa and the Arab World’s best known, and author of numerous books. Férid Boughedir began by making documentaries about the new cinema coming out of these regions: Caméra d’Afrique and Caméra arabe, both of which were presented in the Official Selection at Cannes. His first fictional work, Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces, was shown at Cannes in 1990 to acclaim from critics and audiences alike and remains to this day the biggest success in Tunisian film. A Summer in La Goulette, in competition in Berlin (1996), also won many prizes. A passionate lover of film, he became Delegate, then Director, of the oldest Pan-African festival, the Carthage Film Festival. He finished Villa Jasmin in 2008. His 2016 comedy, Zizou or The Sweet Smell of Spring, won Best Arabic Film at the 2016 Cairo International Film Festival.

Films participating in the Festival

45 films from 35 African countries will participate in four competitions of the 11^th edition of Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) scheduled to take place between 4 and 10 March 2022, including 10 films in the long fiction competition, 11 films in the long documentary competition, 15 films in the short film competition, and 9 films in the “Diaspora” competition.

Films participating in the Long Fiction Competition
1- "2 Midan Talat Harb" by Magdi Ahmed Ali, from Egypt
2- “Habiba” by Hassan Ben Galoon, from Morocco
3-“Zawjat Haffar Al-Qobour” by Khadar Ahmed, from Somalia
4- “Al-Itifak” by Lia Malli and Franck Thierry, from Cameroon
5- “Arjou” by Omar Qasim, from Algeria
6- “Masoud” by Emmanuel Rotobam, from Burkina Faso
7- “Ibta’id” by Stanley Oqouhwari, from Nigeria
8- “Maria Cristo” by Paul S. Willow, from Zambia
9- “Tawalt Ifriqia Al-A’am” by Coffy Ofoso Yeboa, from Ghana
10-  “Mashia Le Jahanam” by Asmahan Lahmar, from Tunisia

Films participating in the Long Documentary Film Competition
1-  “Najmt Al-Sabbah” by director Nantanina Lova, from Madagascar
2- "Kelab Al-Akeed Al-Dalah” by Khaled Shams, from South Korea- Libya
3- “Makan Yusama Wahala” by Jurgin Allingus, from Togo
4- “Faya Daye” by Jessica Bashir, from Ethiopia   
5-“Kasongo” by George Senga, from Congo 
6- “Ya’khouz Al-Nemaa Shakhs” by Mr. and Mrs. Landoy Machkezi, from South Africa
7- “Al-Thahab Wa Mal” by Eric Revo, from Mali 
8- “Al-Malga’a Al-Akhir” by Osmane Smaseko, from Mali
8- “Shokhous Alamna Al-Tahty” by Haitham Sherif, from Egypt
10- “Al-Alikat” by Myriam, from Morocco 
11- “Al-Osoud Al-Awagez” by Ibrahim Abbas, from Egypt 
Films participating in the Short Film Competition

1.     1- “Azma Qalbia” by Menhli Luthuli, from South Africa 
2- "Jawla” by Usama Mukawya, from Ughanda 
3- “Nesf Rouh” by Marwan Traboulsi, from Tunisia
4- “Ma’a Al- Salama Damar” by David Edem Ditib, from Ghana
5- “Minizi” by Elizabeth Blackung Limo,from Togo
6- “Khayt Rafie” by Wegdan Khaled, from Morocco
7- “Balat Al-Malek” by Amimdeh Bakum Ncolo, from Gabon
8- “Ayna Ana” by Dennis Mayala, from Angola
9- “Baby Bloz” by Diop Mamamdou, from Senegal - France
10- “Nakon Izaman” by Denis Valerie Ndayishimi, from Rwanda
11- “Batoul” by Mohamed Zahran, from Egypt
12- “Odteen Wa Salah” by Mina Maher, from Egypt
13- “Ganaza Harrah” by Mohamed Mahmoud, from Egypt
14- “Al-Wosoul Mota’akhir” by Duha Hamdi, from Egypt
15- “Khareta” by Maggi Mourgan, from Egypt
Films participating in the Diaspora Competition

1.     1- “Tefl Shakhs Akhar” by Patricia Quindi, from France
2- “Kol Al-Layali” by Latifa Saeed, from Tunisia - France
3- “Imbratoryat Al-Samt” by Thierry Michel, from France
4- “Prince” by Lisa Bererworth, from Germany
5- “Sout Zohour Qasb Al-Sukkar” by Nicolas Sri, from France
6- Ba’yedan Biqadr Ma Astatie Al-Sayr” by Stefan Arsenjevik, from Serbia - France
7- “Ghad Moshreq” by Yassin Qenya, from France
8- “Molouk Al-Romba” by Alan Brin, from USA - Peru
9- “Salawat Dalfin” by Rosen Mbakam, from Cameroon 
The Jury

The Long Fiction Competition Jury

- Director Moussa Touré (Senegal),

- Director Yousry Nasrallah (Egypt),

- Director Apolline Traoré (Burkina Faso),

- Critic Kamal Ben Wanas (Tunisia),

- Actor Jimmy Jean-Louis (Haiti). 
The Long Documentary Film Competition Jury

- Director Katie Needy (Senegal),

- Critic Phoebe Curry (Uganda),

- Director of photography Mahmoud Abd El-Samie (Egypt),

- Director Mohamed Seyam (Egypt),

- Director Peter Sedovia (Ghana). 

The Short Film Competition Jury

- Director Khaled Al-Haggar (Egypt),

-Director Fatomato Coulibaly (Mali),

-Critic Ahmed Shawqy,

- Director Daoud Wilad Al-Sayed (Morocco),

- Actress Ghalia Ben Ali (Tunisia)