The edition carries the name of director Khairy Beshara
Cinema in Mali is the guest of honour
Film submission begins on September 15, 2023
Screenwriter Sayed Fouad, founder and president of the Luxor African Film Festival, announced that the submission of films will be opened from September 15th, 2023, to November 25th, 2023. This applies to competitions for feature films (fiction and documentary), short films (fiction , documentary, and animation), as well as the competitions for African diaspora films and Egyptian student films.
The festival's 13th edition is dedicated to honoring the renowned Egyptian director Khairy Beshara, one of the key figures in Egyptian cinema's New Realism movement. In celebration of this occasion, the festival will release a book written by the critic Essam Zakaria, highlighting Beshara's cinematic works and his distinctive artistic and human journey.
Additionally, Azza Elhosseiny , the co founder and director of the festival, announced that Mali has been chosen as the guest of honor for this edition. This decision is based on Mali's rich cinematic history, which has produced prominent filmmakers such as Souleymane Cissé and Cheick Oumar Sissoko, as well as a promising new generation of filmmakers. Mali's cinema is considered a significant contributor to the African cinema.
The festival management will also pay tribute to the late Senegalese director Safi Faye, who was the first female filmmaker from sub-Saharan Africa. Her films were known for their powerful portrayal of African women's lives and the realities of African farmers. As part of this tribute, the festival will publish another book about Safi Faye, authored by critics Thierno Abraham and Nadjib Sagna.
The Luxor African Film Festival has been organized since 2011 by Independent Shabab Foundation, under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the Ministries of Tourism, & Antiquities, Youth and Sports, Foreign Affairs, and in collaboration with Luxor Governorate,Egyptian Cinema Syndicate, National Bank of Egypt, and other sponsors.
