The Egyptian Minister of Culture opens the seventh session of the Women’s Film Festival

Dr. Nevin Al-Kilani, Minister of Culture, and Major General Ashraf Attia, Governor of Aswan, inaugurated the activities of the seventh session of the Aswan International Women’s Film Festival.

In the presence of Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt, Ambassador Mervat Al-Talawi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Scriptwriter Mohamed Abdel-Khalek, Festival President, Journalist, Hassan Abu El-Ela, Festival Director, many art stars, and a number of popular and executive leaders in the governorate.

The Minister of Culture said: “Seven years ago, the journey of this festival began, which seemed from the first moment to be not only important, but rather concerned and interested in women, their dreams and aspirations, present and future. Over the course of seven years, it was able to establish itself as a distinguished place among Egyptian festivals.

Observing, adopting, and containing not only the feminist passion for the world of cinema, but also established itself as a window that draws features of the worlds of Egyptian and Arab women, and overlooks the latest international releases concerned with this type of films, through its various programs and film lessons.

And she continued: “The richness and weight of this forum has been increased by its concern for women’s empowerment issues in Upper Egypt, through the “Note” forum, which has become a platform for dialogue between the women of the south and the festival’s guests from all over the world.”

She explained that in this place, and last year, a young girl from Upper Egypt ascended this platform, to win an award for her first film, as a product of one of the festival’s workshops, which is a sufficient snapshot to demonstrate the efforts of those in charge of the festival, and their awareness of the role they took upon themselves.

Christian Berger, head of the European Union delegation to Egypt, said: “The importance of the festival lies in its presentation of women’s issues, as it expresses various social issues.

It is important to support the message of civil society and communicate it to the public through art, and that the European Union has always encouraged this festival and the workshops it holds for filmmaking.

The federation also supports the Euro-Mediterranean competition as a kind of encouragement for cinemas to present various social issues, especially women’s issues. In the end, Berger said: “I always wish success to the Aswan International Women’s Film Festival, and that its efforts will always be crowned with success.”