A pioneer in the African and Arab world Egyptian cinema has an impressive legacy that dates back to the 1890s. With over four thousand features, shorts and documentaries produced across the region, the country’s film industry has been a cornerstone of creativity showcasing the nation’s cultural heritage and creating a bridge between the generations.
Flaws are removed by hand | copyright Filmuforia.com
Many of these film classics are being restored to their former glory at the Egyptian Media Production City, on the outskirts of the capital Cairo. This vast hub stretches over two million square metres in addition to one more million square metres located within the Media Free Zone. EMPC is home to ninety state of art film studios, where new films and series are currently in production. These services contribute to providing Arab and foreign production companies with all the necessary facilities for shooting their films including sound stages, backlots and a state of the art Dolby Atmos studio for sound mixing.
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In the Heritage Restoration Centre a team of highly experienced craftsman undertake the process of restoration of TV and classic films which includes repairing and correcting flaws, cleaning, scanning and transforming into digital content. This gives cineastes and newcomers to classic cinema the chance to experience films for the first time in high resolution formats.
colour correction before and after at EMPC | copyright Filmuforia.com
This year’s Cairo International Film Festival presented fourteen newly restored classics for screening in their own special strand. Festival president, director and actor Hussein Fahmy, is fully supportive of the restoration of classic cinema and is currently committed to restoring a further ten films at the Egypt Media Production City. @MeredithTaylor
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024
Colour correction process