As the 45th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival approaches, it is with great pleasure that we unveil the appointment of the renowned Bosnian director Danis Tanović as the president of the Official Competition Jury. This choice is made in a concerted effort to draw in prominent figures from the global film industry to take part in the festival, with the aim is to foster a platform for the exchange of experiences among emerging Egyptian, Arab, and international filmmakers who are participating in the event.
Born in 1969, Bosnian director and screenwriter Danis Tanović is one of the best directors and screenwriters in Eastern Europe and worldwide. Among his most important works is No Man’s Land, which won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2001. He has also directed films such as An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker and Death in Sarajevo, which won the Silver Bear – Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale in 2016. Tanović is the only director from Bosnia and Herzegovina to win an Academy Award.
Festival President Hussein Fahmy said: "We are delighted to host the biggest international film names at the 45th Cairo Film Festival. Danis Tanović is one of the most important film names in the world, and his films have won many awards at the most prestigious film festivals, and we are proud have him as the jury president of this year's international competition."
Amir Ramsis, Director of the Festival, said: "I am proud to have Danis Tanović as the president of the International Jury at the Festival in its 45th edition. He is director crowned in the cinema history with major international awards from the Academy, Cannes and Berlin. I am delighted that our festival has always given its audience the opportunity to interact with names that have made the history of cinema from different countries of the world."
Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is one of the oldest and most regular festivals in the Arab world and Africa, and is the only festival in the Arab and African region registered in the category A of the International Federation of Producers in Prasles, France, FIAPF.