Khaberni - The 2025 Cairo International Film Festival drew the curtains on its 46th edition by announcing an extensive list of awards that included its international and Arab competitions and parallel programs.
The closing ceremony was attended by a wide array of stars and filmmakers who followed the announcement of the results moment by moment.
During the events of the International Critics' Week, the jury, consisting of the artist Salma Abu Deif, Lebanese writer Elie Dagher, and French producer Claire Jadia, participated.
The jury gave a special mention to the film "Botanic World" by director Jing Yi, while the film "In My Parents' Home" by director Tim Elrich won the Fathy Farag Award. The Shadi Abdel Salam Award for Best Film was won by "My Sweetheart Hussein" by director Alex Bakri.
In the documentary category, the film "Thuraya, My Love" by director Nicolas Khoury won the award for Best Documentary. The work presented a documentary journey into the life of artist Thuraya Baghdad and her relationship with her late husband, director Maroun Baghdadi, drawing from archival footage and scenes from their film "Small Wars," which brought them together for the first time.
As for the awards in the short film competition, "A Very Upright Neck" won the Special Jury Prize, while director Lynn Safi won the Best Arab Short Film Award for "Teta and Teta". The Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film went to "Streets of Cairo" by director Abdullah Al-Taieb. In the International Critics Union Award, the long narrative film "Things It Kills" by director Ali Reza Khatami won, revealing the protagonist's struggle with his past and family secrets.
In the long narrative films category, the jury gave a special mention to "Fulana" by director Zahraa Ghandour. The award for Best Long Arab Film went to "Once Upon a Time in Gaza" by directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser, which dealt with the conditions of the Gazan society in 2007 through an unexpected relationship between a young man and a drug dealer facing the pressures of a corrupt officer. The film "Botanic World" won the award for Best Asian Film in the Nebtuk Award.
In the Horizons of Arab Cinema competition, the film "The 13th Round" won the award for Best Acting Performance, while the award for Best Screenplay went to "Complaint 713317". The Salah Abu Seif Award, a special award of the jury, was won by the film "Against Cinema" by director Ali Saeed, while the film "A Quiet Dog" by director Sara Francis won the Saad Eldin Wahba Award for Best Arab Film in the International Competition.
Within the international competition awards, the film "City of Sands" won the Henri Barakat Award for Best Artistic Contribution, along with the film "The Dragonfly". The main actor in "Once Upon a Time in Gaza" won the award for Best Actor, while the Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best Screenplay went to "Things It Kills". The film "As We Breathe" won the Bronze Pyramid Award, and "Once Upon a Time in Gaza" won the Silver Pyramid Award for Best Director.
The festival announced the awards for the Future Generation, dedicated to supporting young talents. Both Mai Saad from Egypt and Ahmed AlDanf from Palestine shared the Directing Award, while actress Nahed El Sebai received the Acting Award in recognition of her performances in prominent cinematic works. The Film Critic Award went to Ahmed Ezzat Amer, while Sherine Karam from Lebanon received the Acting Performance Award for her role in the film "A Quiet Dog".
The closing ceremony also honored a number of influential figures in the film industry, including Chinese director Guan Hu and Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi, in addition to cinematographer Mahmoud Abdel Samie who expressed his happiness with the honor despite having previously won more than 65 awards during his career.
It is noteworthy that the edition included 14 films in the international competition and 15 in the official section outside the competition, while 8 films participated in the Critics' Week and 9 in Arab Cinema Horizons. The short films competitions included 24 films, in addition to 18 films in the special screenings and 18 in the International Panorama.
