It may come as something of a shock to the European industry, which is stuck at home, watching films on computer and TV screens, that the 42^nd Cairo International Film Festival held a physical edition. Cinemas in Egypt are open on a daily basis and are operating at 50% capacity, with all necessary security measures in place. One of the biggest film gatherings in Africa, as usual, had many European elements in its programme, including The Father [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Florian Zeller
scheda film] by Florian Zeller, starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman. Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons, Atonement [+leggi anche:
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The grand prix of the festival, the Golden Pyramid, went to the British flick Limbo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ben Sharrock
scheda film] by Ben Sharrock, which screened at the San Sebastián Film Festival earlier this year. The film, described by Cineuropa as an “incisive satire on British attitudes to male refugees told in an elegiac, deadpan style”, also got the gong for Best Artistic Contribution and a FIPRESCI Award. The international jury, headed up by Russian maestro Alexander Sokurov, also praised Conference [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ivan I. Tverdovsky
scheda film] by Ivan I Tverdovskiy (which scooped the Silver Pyramid, and Best Actress for Natalya Pavlenkova, split with Curfew’s Elham Shahin) and Lift Like a Girl [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Mayye Zayed (Bronze Pyramid), which was also the audience favourite and consequently took home their prize. Julian Vergov was named Best Actor for German Lessons, and Jorge Cuchi won the Best Screenplay Award. Additionally, the jury gave a Special Mention to Gaza mon amour [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Arab and Tarzan Nasser. Separate juries gave out prizes in a few other sections. Isabel by Sarah Al Shazly scooped the main prize in Cinema of Tomorrow, Roy Arida’s Under the Concrete [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] came out on top in the Horizons of New Arab Cinema Competition, and Jing Wang, with his The Best Is Yet to Come, snatched the Best Film Award in the International Critics’ Week Competition. The Egyptian gathering wrapped on 10 December.

Here is the list of the main award winners:

International Competition

Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film
Limbo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ben Sharrock
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Silver Pyramid – Special Jury Award for Best Director
Conference [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ivan I. Tverdovsky
scheda film] – Ivan I Tverdovskiy (Russia/Estonia/UK/Italy)

Bronze Pyramid Award for Best First or Second Work by a Director
Lift Like a Girl [+leggi anche:
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Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best Screenplay
Jorge Cuchi – 50 or Two Whales Meet on the Beach (Mexico)

Best Actor Award
Julian Vergov – German Lessons (Bulgaria/Germany)

Best Actress Award (ex aequo)
Elham Shahin - Curfew (Egypt)
Natalya Pavlenkova – Conference

Henry Barakar Award for Best Artistic Contribution
Ben Sharrock – Limbo

Jury Special Mention
Gaza mon amour [+leggi anche:
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Cinema of Tomorrow

The Special Jury Award
Roman Hodel - The Game (Switzerland)

Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film
Isabel - Sarah Al Shazly (Cuba)

Mention of the Jury (ex aequo)
Mo Harawe - Life on the Horn (Somalia/Austria/Germany)
Sara Mesfer - The Girls Who Burned the Night (Saudi Arabia)

FIPRESCI Award
Limbo – Ben Sharrock

International Critics’ Week Competition

Shadi Abdel Salam Award for Best Film
Jing Wang - The Best Is Yet to Come (China)

Fathy Farag Award - Special Jury Award
Gold [+leggi anche:
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The Horizons of New Arab Cinema Competition

Saad Eldin Wahba Award for Best Arabic Film
Under the Concrete [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Roy Arida (France/Lebanon)

Salah Abu Seif Award - Special Jury Award
The Tambour of Retribution - Abdulaziz Alshlahei (Saudi Arabia)

Best Non-Fiction Film Award
We Are From There - Wissam Tanios (Lebanon/France)

Best Acting Performance Award
Faisal Al Dokhy - The Tambour of Retribution

Jury Special Mention
The Fall of Apple Trees - Mohamed Mouftakir (Morocco)

Audience Award
Lift Like a Girl – Mayye Zayed