Egyptian cinema holds a treasure trove of classics dating back to the 1950s waiting to be rediscovered and well worth revisiting.
Thanks to the specialist restoration centre just outside Cairo, many films are now being remastered and re-coloured for a wider audience to enjoy. Some are light-hearted – even saucy – comedies, others are historical epics or carry a political message but these are fantastic films not be overlooked.
This year Cairo International Film Festival celebrates its 46th edition, with the following:
The Palace of Desire | Hassan Al-Imam | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1967 | 130′
Palace Walk | Hassan Al-Imam | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1964 | 135′
Something of Fear | Hussein Kamal | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1969 | 120′
Cairo 30 | Salah Abu Seif | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1966 | 130′
The Second Wife | Salah Abu Seif | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1967 | 112′
The Sin | Henry Barakat | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1965 | 105′
The Quail and the Autumn | Houssam El-Din Moustafa | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1967 | 129′
The Beggar | Houssam El-Din Moustafa | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1973 | 138′
The Mirage | Anwar El-Shenawy | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1970 | 130′
The Impossible | Hussein Kamal | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1965 | 110′
My Wife and the Dog | Said Marzouk | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1971 | 95′
Sunset and Sunrise | Kamal El-Sheikh | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1970 | 125′
The Lamp of Umm Hashim | Kamal Attia | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1968 | 105
A Crime in a Quiet Neighbourhood | Houssam El-Din Moustafa | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1967 | 95′
The Man Who Lost His Shadow | Kamal El-Sheikh | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1968 | 130′
A Woman on the Road | Ezz El-Dine Zulficar | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1958 | 115′
The People and the Nile | Youssef Chahine | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1972 | 105′
Khan al-Khalili | Atef Salem | Arab Republic of Egypt | 1966 | 115′
Night and Jail Bars | Ashraf Fahmy | Arab Republic of Egypt | 1973 | 100′
My Wife, the General Manager | Fatin Abdel Wahab | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1966 | 110′
The Road | Houssam El-Din Moustafa | Arab Rep of Egypt | 1964 | 105′
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 12 – 21 NOVEMBER 2025