The 13th edition of the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) which showcases African creativity, will take place from 9-15 February in the historic Egyptian city of Luxor, under the slogan “Africa in All Colors”, with the participation of 33 countries and 42 films in 4 competitions.
Organised by NGO Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF) with support from numerous agencies, the festival is the brainchild of Egyptian screenwriter and actor Sayed Fouad – currently serving as its president – and Egyptian actress and film director Azza El Hosseiny.
The host city Luxor, which sits on the eastern bank of the River Nile, has a captivating history dating back 4,000 years ago. The opening ceremony will be held at the Luxor Temple – one of Egypt’s top-rated tourist attractions – which boasts some of the most remarkable colossal statues, under the theme ‘All Colours of Africa’.
It is worth mentioning that the thirteenth edition of the festival is named after the renowned director Khairy Beshara, one of the founders of the New Realism movement in Egyptian cinema. He is known for his distinctive narrative and documentary films that portray the concerns and dreams of ordinary Egyptians. His works have made a significant contribution to the history of Egyptian cinema. A book about him is being written by the film critic Essam Zakaria.
Additionally, the edition will be dedicated to the late Senegalese director Safi Faye, the first African woman director to make feature films in sub-Saharan countries. She focused on the lives of women and rural peasants in Senegal, creating films of exceptional quality and distinction. She was previously honored by the Luxor Festival, and a book about her is being prepared by the Senegalese writer Njib Sanya.
The Luxor African Film Festival is honorarily headed by the Egyptian actor Mahmoud Hemida, who believes in the festival’s importance and the significant cinematic role it plays within the African continent.
The Luxor festival features multiple segments, including four competitive ones:
– Feature film
– Short film
– African diaspora
– Egyptian student film competitions – all narrative, documentary and animated films which do not exceed 30 minutes.
This year’s competitive segments will screen 44 films, topped with titles in the ‘out of competition’ selections.
The Luxor Festival Poster and Logo
The Luxor African Film Festival has unveiled the official poster for its 13th edition, which will take place from February 9th to 15th, 2024. The poster was designed by the renowned visual artist Mohamed Abla, with graphics by Mahmoud Ismail, under the slogan ‘All Colors of Africa’
About Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF)
The Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) is one of ISF’s projects. It was the writer Sayed Fouad’s and director Azza Elhosseiny’s idea, as the African films are almost not screened in Egypt. Furthermore, Luxor hardly has any cultural or artistic events, and was therefore selected to de-centralize cultural or artistic events always organized in Cairo and Alexandria.
For the first time in Egypt, an NGO organizes an event with such grand caliber and high standards. Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF) which organizes LAFF is a non-profit entity. The success of ISF is the result of the sound artistic accomplishment and skills of its founders as cultural activists who believe in the necessity and importance of communicating with the world in general and with Africa in particular. It is also built on the capacity of its Board of trustees in representing Egypt in local and international activities.
ISF started working on the festival since mid-2010 and the fruits of our efforts resulted in numerous partnerships ranging from the Ministry of Culture in Egypt to International networks.
