The 46th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) will host the Middle East and North Africa premiere of Maryam Touzani’s film “Malaga Alley” on Sunday, while also honouring acclaimed actor Khaled El Nabawy with a special screening of the Youssef Chahine classic, “The Emigrant.”
“Malaga Alley,” a feature-length narrative co-production between Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, and Belgium, was screened at 6:00 PM at the Cairo Opera House’s Grand Theatre as part of the festival’s International Competition.
The 116-minute film, spoken in both Arabic and Spanish, follows the story of Maria Angeles, a 79-year-old Spanish woman living alone in Tangier, Morocco. Her peaceful life is disrupted when her daughter arrives from Madrid with plans to sell the apartment that has always been her home. The film chronicles Maria’s fight to keep her home and the unexpected doors to love and self-discovery that open for her during the struggle.
The director, Maryam Touzani, is from Tangier and is also a screenwriter and actress. Her previous feature films, “Adam” (2019) and “The Blue Caftan” (2022), were both acclaimed at prestigious international festivals.
Later in the evening, at 9:00 PM, the festival presented a special screening of Youssef Chahine’s 1994 masterpiece, “The Emigrant,” as part of its Gala and Cairo Classics programme. The screening celebrates the career of actor Khaled El Nabawy, who is being awarded the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at this year’s festival.
“The Emigrant” is considered one of the most iconic works in modern Egyptian cinema and features El Nabawy in one of his most memorable early roles. The 124-minute film tells the story of Ram, a young man who leaves his nomadic life to seek knowledge in Pharaonic Egypt during a period of political turmoil.
The Cairo International Film Festival, established in 1976, is one of the oldest and most prominent film festivals in the Arab world and Africa. It is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) and is held annually under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture.
