Cairo International Film Festival postponed amid Israel-Gaza war

Event was scheduled to take place from November 15 to 24

Egypt's Minister of Culture announced the cancellation, with a rescheduled date yet to be confirmed. Photo: Cairo International Film Festival

The 45th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival has been postponed as violence continues in the Israel-Gaza war.

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The festival was scheduled to take place between November 15 to 24. According to the festival’s Instagram page, the postponement was a decision taken by Neven El-Kelany, Egypt’s Minister of Culture.

“Minister of Culture Dr Neven El-Kelany has decided to postpone the 45th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival, which was scheduled to take place from November 15th to 24th. The new date for the festival will be determined later,” the post reads.

It is unlikely that the annual event in Cairo will take place this year since further dates are likely to clash with other international film festivals in the region.

The Marrakech International Film Festival is due to take place between November 24 and December 2, whereas Jeddah’s Red Sea International Film Festival is slated to run from November 30 to December 9. It is not yet clear whether the two festivals will take place as scheduled.

Actors, directors and celebrities from 52 different countries took part in last year's Cairo event, walking the red carpet during the eight-day run. Of the 97 films to participate, 58 were from the Mena region.

The Cairo event is the only international competitive feature film festival in the Arab world and Africa that is recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, an international organisation in charge of regulating the world’s most renowned film festivals.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in Gaza with more than 12,500 injured since war broke out on October 7.

On Tuesday, at least 500 people died following an attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. The facility was packed with wounded people receiving care, as well as displaced residents seeking shelter.