Cairo Film Festival Announces 2025 Lineup with MENA Premiere of ‘The Blue Trail’

The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has revealed its official selection for 2025, with the Brazilian feature film ‘The Blue Trail’ set to open the event. Having premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, the film follows the journey of 77-year-old Tereza as she navigates the Amazon River in an effort to fulfill her last wish before facing relocation to a senior housing community.

The festival’s international competition showcases 14 films, comprising nine international entries and five from the MENA region. Among the notable titles is ‘I Am The One’, the third feature film by Palestinian directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser, acclaimed for winning the Un Certain Regard Best Director award at Cannes.

In addition, CIFF will host the world premiere of ‘The Free Gaza Circus’, a documentary directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mai Saad and Palestinian filmmaker Ahmed Al-Danaf. The film captures the resilience of the Free Gaza Circus as they perform for local communities amidst ongoing conflict, transforming their art into a powerful act of defiance and hope.

Other films competing this year include a documentary by Lebanese filmmaker Nicolas Khoury, who reflects on the life of dancer and actress Souraya Baghdadi, and Maryam Touzani‘s Spanish-language drama, Morocco’s submission for the Oscars.

The films in the competition will vie for the prestigious Golden Pyramid Award, to be awarded during the festival’s closing ceremony on November 21, 2025. The festival will close with ‘Four Daughters’, a docudrama directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, which has also been nominated for the Oscars and won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

The jury for the competition will be chaired by renowned Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan, alongside a diverse panel that includes Italian film editor Simona Paggi, Chinese filmmaker Guan Hu, and Egyptian actress Basma, among others.

CIFF’s official selection also features nine films competing for the Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition Awards. This includes ‘The Banned’, the debut feature documentary by Iraqi filmmaker Zahraa Ghandour, along with world premieres from Egyptian directors Yasser Shafiey and Mohamed Al Adl.

The festival’s out-of-competition segment highlights acclaimed works such as ‘The Green Border’ by Agnieszka Holland and ‘The Last Daughter’ by Christian Petzold, which was featured in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.

CIFF continues to spotlight the Palestinian narrative, with a strong representation of Palestinian cinema across its various sections. The lineup includes ‘The Free Gaza Circus’ and ‘Gaza’s Children’, along with ‘The Last Refuge’ by Nicolas Wadimoff in the Special Screenings section.

This year’s festival also introduces a Turkish Spotlight, showcasing a collection of eight Turkish films, including works by directors such as Şeyhmus Altun and Ensar Altay.

As the Cairo International Film Festival prepares to commence, it promises to be a platform for groundbreaking cinema, reflecting both local and global narratives while celebrating the power of film as a medium for expression and resistance.