Announcement of the first Port Said Film Festival – Cinema Professions Syndicate

The Port Said Film Festival management, headed by film critic Ahmed Aser, revealed the rules of the festival, which will be held from December 1 to 5, 2024, coinciding with the National Day of the city of Port Said.

The festival is organized by the “Port Said Association for Performing and Cultural Arts” with the approval of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture (Supreme Committee of Festivals) and in coordination with relevant authorities inside and outside the Port Said governorate, and is directed by film critic Ahmed Asser.

This year’s film festival includes 5 major competition events, namely:

The Short Film Competition, the Documentary Short Film Competition, the Animation Film Competition, the Student Film Competition and the Independent Feature Film Competition provide a special forum for the screening of films by the people of Port Said in their activities.

According to the regulations, the conditions for submitting a film are:

– Short Films/Animation Films/Student Films: The duration of the film should not exceed 30 minutes, including footage.

– Student Films: The producer/producer or director/director must be a student of one of the educational institutions below university level until the Festival start date of December 1, 2024.

– Independent Films: The running time of the film must be at least 60 minutes, including clips, and must not be affiliated with a dedicated production/distribution company/studio.
– The film must not have been produced before 2024.
The film may not be shown on television, on any internet, online platform or commercially until the end of the Festival on December 5, 2024.

The producer/producer or director/director must be from one of the following countries: (Egypt – Jordan – United Arab Emirates – Bahrain – Algeria – Saudi Arabia – Sudan – Somalia – Iraq – Kuwait – Morocco – Yemen – Tunisia – Comoros – South Sudan – Djibouti – Syria – Oman – State of Palestine – Qatar – Lebanon – Libya – Mauritania – Iran – Turkey – Cyprus).

The film review committee is composed of three members, who are not limited to a specific gender or nationality and are not allowed to have any relationship with the film in accordance with the principle of “conflict of interest”.

The festival charter also specifies the categories and types of prizes that the winners of the competition will receive, with the lighthouse as a symbol of Port Said in the names of the prizes, which are:

– The Faneuil Gold and Silver Awards were given to the best two films in the Independent Feature Film Competition.
– The Best Film Award is won by the producer/producer or director/director of the film.
– Best Director Award.
– Best Screenplay Award (Feature Films Only).
– Best Actor Award (Feature Films only).
– Best Actress Award (Feature Films only).
– Three certificates of appreciation for the best three films at the Mahmoud Yassin Forum, Sons of Cinema in Port Said, awarded by the film directors.
– Jury Prize won by the filmmaker/producer or director/director (mentioned).