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by Mahmoud Fouly, Zheng Kailun
CAIRO, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese cinema is very rich and future cooperation between Egypt and China, the guest of honor of the ongoing 38th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), is a necessity, said the festival's president in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
"China is this year's CIFF guest of honor because it is a very special year for the relations between Egypt and China, as sixty years have passed since the establishment of official relations between Egypt and China that have been marked through various celebrations all over the year," said CIFF President Magda Wassef.
"So, it is normal to select China as the guest of honor of the current CIFF session," she added.
Wassef noted that Egyptian filmmakers have discovered many excellent Chinese movies through film festivals around the world, such as those of Canne and Berlin.
"Some other smaller festivals also served as a beginning to introduce the Chinese cinema, such as Nantes Festival of the Three Continents, besides some other Chinese movies that have been displayed in Egypt to honor Zhang Yimou," said the CIFF chief.
The CIFF held a "China Night" on Wednesday evening as one of the most important events of the Chinese-Egyptian Culture Year, displaying two Chinese movies by filmmaker Jia Zhangke, who received the Excellence Award at Tuesday night's CIFF opening ceremony.
"This year I am very happy to honor Chinese director Jia Zhangke and displayed two of his most important movies, 'The World' and his latest 'Mountains May Depart,' for which he received Fatin Hamama Excellence Award in this year's CIFF," Wassef told Xinhua.
She expressed her belief that having China as the CIFF guest of honor and the meetings between Egyptian and Chinese filmmakers "will certainly open horizons of cooperation between them in the future," stressing the significance of including the cinema industry in the Egyptian-Chinese cooperation plans.
With 204 contesting films from 61 countries, the CIFF jury will award the Golden Pyramid for best film, the Silver Pyramid for best director, the Bronze Pyramid for best first or second work of a director, Naguib Mahfouz Prize for best screenplay, as well as other prizes for best actor, best actress and best artistic contribution.
According to the president, over 20 Chinese movies with various narrative styles will be showcased during the festival, including Jia's "Mountains May Depart," Diao Yinan's "Black Coal, Thin Ice" and "Buddha Mountain" by Li Yu, who has been selected among the nine-member festival's jury.
"We look at China not only as a country but as a continent," said Wassef. "My visit to China for the last Shanghai International Film Festival made me discover China in a different way beyond the cinema."
The 38th CIFF kicked off on Tuesday evening at the Opera House in downtown Cairo, and is scheduled to last until Nov. 24.
Since the first session in 1976, the CIFF has been the most prestigious film gala in Africa and the Middle East.
