The 11th international children cinema festival will start on Tuesday in Cairo under the title of “One Heart” in which 33 countries are taking part.
The one-week festival is going to host five Arab states: Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Syria. It will also attract a remarkable participation of Iran, France, US and United Kingdom, head of the festival and the Arab artists union Fawzi Fahmi said in a statement to Kuwaiti news agency (KUNA).
The festival will feature 135 films classified into three categories: story-telling and animation films, television shows and media section. Winners will be awarded prizes estimated at 13,000 US dollar allocated for Arab long and short films, according to the Egyptian cultural ministry.
Fahmi added that the tribunal committee for the story-telling short film contains 10 members headed by the English producer Richard Zemekean. The Egyptian caricaturist, Mustafa Hussein will head the tribunal committee for television long and short film, which includes nine members. He pointed that there would be a tribunal committee with 39 children from different countries on board.
For the first time in the opening ceremony a non-American film will be the starting film, which is the Chinese animation film “Marco Polo.”
He added also that that the festival committee will honor late artist Mohammed Fawzi, Kareema Mokhtar, cartoonist Muhyi-Deen al-Labad, journalist
Nateel Rashed, French producer Jean-Francios Lajouree and Indian director Jalan.
The festival will host a charity for disabled children in the Egyptian opera house with a huge number of charities participating. It will also host a seminar entitled “violence in cinema and its impact on children.”
With the participation of number of producers, specialists and critics, the children and youth international film organization based in Montreal, Canada decided to give its award for the second year to one of the long story-telling film participating in the festival through the international tribunal committee.
The organization, which belongs to the UNESCO, sets, besides artistic significance, humanitarian aspects as criteria for winning; a film should develop understanding between children and youths in different countries
The Iranian participation considered to be the largest ever with 20 films mostly consequential ones that participated in many international festivals and were able to achieve some victories.
England comes in second place in the number of films. Most of the English 12 films participating are prize winners, such as "Famous Fred" an Oscar nominee for best-animated movie in 1998 – Albawaba.com
