Cairo Industry Days Embraces Genre Films and Global Collaborations

The Cairo International Film Festival's industry sidebar, Cairo Industry Days, is set to return from November 15-20, 2025 with a slate of enhanced initiatives. According to Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rehim, the head of Cairo Industry Days, the event is focused on "building concrete steps to bolster the position of the Egyptian film industry in the MENA region."

One of the key new additions is the Cairo Pro-Meet program, a networking platform that will enable Arab filmmakers to connect with top industry professionals from around the world, including producers, distributors, and funding institutions. Abdel Rehim explains that the goal is to foster collaborations beyond the traditional Europe-MENA axis, tapping into opportunities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The Cairo Film Connection, the festival's works-in-progress sidebar, will return for its 11th edition, featuring 16 projects from nine countries, ranging from development to post-production. The event will also highlight genre filmmaking, with a workshop led by Italian script consultant Simona Nobile. Abdel Rehim notes that some of Egypt's most popular recent films have been genre titles, and the festival aims to shed light on the specialized skills required for this type of storytelling.

Additionally, Cairo Industry Days will host a lab dedicated to developing seven-part TV series, in partnership with the Egyptian streaming platform Watch It. The festival will also feature workshops on emerging technologies like extended reality (XR) and digital restoration, reflecting the changing landscape of the Egyptian film industry.