Organ trafficking is a widespread but poorly understood concern in Egypt. Activists and documentarians have largely shied away from this sensitive but important issue, as it serves as a microcosm of many of the world’s more widespread social ills. Egypt is one of the world’s leading destinations for illegal kidney trafficking, and organ sales among …

The Arab films at this year’s Cairo International Film Festival have been billed as exceptional, and “Stray Bullet,” a Lebanese entry at the Arab Competition, does not disappoint. The film was directed by Beirut native Georges Hachem and stars director/actress Nadine Labaki of “Caramel” fame. “Stray Bullet” is Hachem’s first feature length production, and was …

Slovenian film “Piran – Pirano,” an official selection of the 34th Cairo International Film Festival, received well-deserved approval from audiences. The film screening on Dec. 8 was followed by a press conference with respected screenwriter and director Goran Vojnovic?. Vojnovic?, born in 1980 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has only been writing and directing for a short …

The Secret in Their Eyes Directed by: Juan José Campanella. Starring: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil and Pablo Rago. Synopsis: It’s 2974 in Buenos Aires. Benjamín Espósito and Pablo Sandoval, legal investigators at one of the city’s criminal courts, are joined by a new boss, Cornell-trained lawyer Irene Menéndez Hastings. Benjamín and Irene are clearly attracted …

By Maya Dukmasova Mohamed Abdelhafez is probably the world’s only practicing gastroenterologist and independent filmmaker at the same time. His first film, “The Door,” premiered as part of the Digital Feature Film Competition at this year’s Cairo International Film Festival. Abdelhafez created this gripping psychological thriller for a total of about $100. He used a family …

The Flowers of Rowan Directed by: Alyona•Semenova/Alexander•Smirnov. Starring: Konstantin Milovanov, Elizaveta Arzamasova and Denis Sukhomlinov. Synopsis: The flowers of rowan are delicate and fragile and bloom for less than 10 days. The same appeared to the lives of the young girls who were sent to clear bombs left after World War II on the fields …

In his second feature film, “Who am I?”, American-educated Russian director Klim Shipenko delivers an ideal cinematic experience: gripping, twisted plot line; sincere, powerful performances; aesthetically appealing cinematography; and a subtle exploration of powerful philosophical questions. The plot of the film — which’s screening as part of Cairo International Film Festival’s International Competition — is …

Copacabana Directed by: Marc Fitoussi. Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Aure Atika and Lolita Chammah Synopsis: Boldly unconventional and cheerful, that’s how one could describe Babou. Never having cared about social conventions, she is suddenly faced with the realization that her own daughter is ashamed of her and therefore refuses to invite her to her wedding. Hurt …

The Cairo International Film Festival witnessed a rare first on Saturday at the Cairo Opera House: its first screening of a Dominican movie. The feature length film, “Jean Gentil”, is the work of Mexican-Dominican husband-wife team Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman. Based on the life of a real man named Jean Remy Genty, a …

By Elizabeth Vossen With cameras flashing and the media ambitiously vying for their attention, glamorous film and television stars as well as industry professionals swarmed the red carpet Tuesday evening at the 34th annual Cairo International Film Festival. While the festival strove gallantly to achieve international standards, it fell somewhat short due to what seemed to …