Tomorrow.. Cairo Film Festival Concludes its 46th Edition with "The Voice of Hind Rajab"

The awards will be distributed to the winners and cinematographer Mahmoud Abdel Samie and Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi will be honored with the Golden Pyramid Award.

The 46th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival will conclude tomorrow evening after 9 days, during which 152 films were showcased in various competitions and sections, in addition to several seminars and discussion panels as part of the Cairo Days for Film Industry.

The ceremony will witness the distribution of awards for the official competition, the Horizons of Arab Cinema competition, the Critics' Week competition, and the short films competition, in addition to announcing the awards of the International Federation of Film Critics "FIPRESCI" and "NETPAC for Asian Film", along with honoring cinematographer Mahmoud Abdel Samie and Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi with the honorary Golden Pyramid Award for Lifetime Achievement, which was also awarded to director Mohamed Abdel Aziz and Palestinian actress Hiam Abbas, before the concluding film "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Tunisian director Kawther Ben Hania is screened in its African premiere.

The film's screening in Cairo follows its recent crowning with the Silver Lion - the Grand Jury Prize at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received widespread critical acclaim and a standing ovation that lasted more than twenty minutes, before it was screened yesterday at the opening of the Doha Film Festival, and last October at the opening of the first edition of the Gaza International Film Festival for Women's Cinema.

The film, which represents Tunisia in the competition for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, is a Tunisian-French production and is a dramatic work that blends fiction and documentary, based on painful real events, telling the story of the Palestinian girl Hind Rajab (6 years old) who found herself trapped in a car under bombardment in Gaza after losing her family. During those moments, Hind made a call to the emergency services of the Palestinian Red Crescent seeking help, while rescue teams were trying to find a safe passage to reach her.

The film stars Saja Al-Kilani, Moataz Malhis, Clara Khoury, and Amer Halayel, with cinematography by Juan Sarmiento, editing by Qutaiba Barhamji, and music by Amin Bouhafa, with production design by Bassem Marzouk.

Artist Hussein Fahmy, the festival president, stated: "The screening of The Voice of Hind Rajab at the conclusion of the 46th Cairo Film Festival reflects the festival's belief in the role of cinema in defending human issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, emphasizing that it is a film that leaves a deep impact and makes art a tool for expressing justice and freedom.

For his part, Mohamed Tarek, the festival's artistic director, said: "Choosing Kawther Ben Hania's film to conclude the festival is a celebration of the role of Arab cinema in conveying the voice of Palestine to the world, and a confirmation that cinema can be a bridge that unites peoples and immortalizes shared memory. Its prestigious win of the Silver Lion in Venice adds to its global significance and multiplies our pride in screening it in Cairo."