Aswan International Women Film Festival to Honor Kinda Alloush
The Aswan International Women Film Festival is set to honor acclaimed actress Kinda Alloush at the opening of its ninth edition, running from May 2 to 7. This year, the festival pays tribute to the iconic Umm Kulthum, celebrating Egyptian and Arab female creativity as the world commemorates 50 years since her passing.
The festival organizers stated that Kinda Alloush is being recognized for her remarkable talent and outstanding film career, which includes significant collaborations with acclaimed directors across generations in both Syrian and Egyptian cinema. Throughout her journey, Alloush has powerfully portrayed diverse female characters, bringing to life the hopes, struggles, and dreams of women.
In recent years, Kinda Alloush has shined on the global stage, starring in internationally acclaimed films directed by renowned female filmmakers. These include The Swimmers by Sally El Hosaini, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and screened at both the London and Cairo film festivals; Nezouh by Soudade Kaadan, which won the Audience Award at the Venice Film Festival; and The Yellow Bus by Wendy Bednarz, showcased at TIFF alongside a cast of leading Indian actors.
Alloush's distinguished cinematic career began with the late director Hatem Ali in the short film Passion, and she went on to star in notable Syrian films such as The Last Night of Ghilan of Damascus with Haitham Hakki, The Strangers with Abbas Rafei, and Once Again with Joud Said. She also headlined the Syrian-Lebanese production 23 Days directed by Jamal Shourjeh.
Her Egyptian cinema debut came with renowned director Sherif Arafa in Welad El-Am, followed by standout roles in films like One True Love, Hepta by Hadi El Bagoury, The Vagabond by Essam El Shamaa, Partita by Sherif Mandour, Excuse My French by Amr Salama, The Deal by Sandra Nashaat, Cairo Time by Amir Ramses, and The Originals by Marwan Hamed.
Beyond the silver screen, Kinda Alloush has left a lasting mark on television, starring in major Egyptian and Syrian series such as Sultan Beibars, The Invasion, Born from the Flank, People of Cairo, Del'aa Banat, Countdown, Friendly Fire, The Covenant, The Wedding Song, Moonlight, The Wives of Beit El-Maadi, and recently, the Ramadan hit My Sisters.
Alloush has also served on juries for numerous prestigious film festivals, including multiple editions of the Cairo International Film Festival, El Gouna Film Festival, Tropfest Arabia, Luxor African Film Festival, Alexandria Short Film Festival, and Cairo Short Film Festival.
The ninth edition of the Aswan International Women's Film Festival is held under the patronage of Egypt's Ministries of Culture, Tourism, and Social Solidarity, along with the Egyptian Tourism Authority, EgyptAir, the National Council for Women, the Syndicate of Cinematic Professions, Aswan Governorate, and Aswan University.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
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INTERVIEW: The reel Jerusalem - Culture - Al-Ahram Weekly
The fifth Jerusalem Arab Film Festival (JAFF, 9-15 July) closed, steady and determined, despite the many challenges posed by occupation, war, limited resources and the isolation of the city and its people. Building on the success of four previous rounds, this year the annual week-long event— founded and directed by Jerusalem native, Nevin Shaheen — made significant strides in advancing its mission to break the isolation imposed on Palestine. For the first time in five years, the festival held screenings — many at unconventional venues — simultaneously in three Palestinian cities alongside Jerusalem. Also for the first time, it introduced monetary awards for the winning films. 'This round was a great success. I always believed that if we could make it to the fifth year, then we could truly carry on,' Shaheen says. 'We don't have academic programmes focused on festival management here, nor do we have other film festivals to learn from. There are no trained teams specialising in film festival organisation, especially in Jerusalem, where the Jerusalem Arab Film Festival is the only one of its kind. We've been learning through trial and error, and also from our growing network across the Arab world: advisors, friends, and colleagues who've supported us with everything from detailed guidance to small practical tips. Our experience over the past years is what made this fifth round so successful, and I believe it's been our most impactful yet.' According to Shaheen, the way both the founders and the audience view the festival—what they expect it to be —has evolved over time. In the first three years, she says, the main focus was visibility, both locally and across the Arab world. But over the last two years, they have shifted their energy towards making the JAFF truly a festival for the people of this city. 'It had to feel like their festival. That meant putting serious effort into outreach, communication, and organisation, so the festival could reach as many people as possible. And I believe that's exactly what we achieved in this latest edition. What we decided to work on was rebuilding people's trust in cinema, and their love for it. We did that by selecting films that reflect their concerns and speak to their realities.' One of the major turning points in this year's round was the introduction of cash prizes. In the first four rounds, the awards were simply a trophy for best film and a symbolic jury prize. This year the festival offered financial awards across its three main sections: Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film. The prize money, USD6,000 in total, was provided by the European Union and distributed among the three categories. 'I believe this is a significant development for the festival,' Shaheen says. 'It shows that support for the festival is growing, and that people are starting to trust in what we're building.' According to Shaheen, this year's theme was the artistic director's idea: 'He felt that, given how difficult things are in the country right now, we should offer families something they could do together: a shared outing, a moment of joy, a change of pace. That's why 95 percent of the films we screened are family-friendly.' It worked. The opening film, Rashid Masharawi's Passing Dreams, a gentle, heartwarming film about a boy searching for his lost dove as it flies across several cities, perfectly captures that spirit. 'The opening night brought together people of all ages. It was really beautiful to see'. What made it even more remarkable is that, for the first time since the festival was established, the opening film was screened simultaneously in four cities: Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa, and Nazareth. Since the beginning, a curated selection of the programme has screened in Bethlehem. But now the festival has spread wider. 'All of us, as Palestinians, were watching the same film at the same time, united across divisions, borders, and forced isolation. It was powerful. And it's an experience we absolutely plan to repeat in future editions.' The biggest challenge facing the festival over the last two years has been the war. In addition to instability, there is an intense public debate about whether it is appropriate to hold cultural events under the circumstances. But Shaheen is firm in her conviction: 'The occupation doesn't want us to live normal lives. Quite the opposite. It wants us to constantly feel like we're under military rule, that it controls our movements and our rhythms, and that we're trapped in a state of perpetual emergency, with everything around us pushing us to question whether staying is worth it at all. That's why I believe maintaining the festival is an act of resistance.' The screenings, the filmmaker Q & As, the masterclasses, the training workshops all open doors to young people to see cinema as a possibility or a future. That is why audience engagement has always been paramount: 'We constantly ask ourselves: is it really worth continuing? And each time, the answer comes from the public. The festival has become a fixed point on the city's cultural calendar. More and more young people ask to volunteer and join the team and that, to me, is priceless.' The public training workshops are designed not only for sharing knowledge, but to help participants explore their personal relationship with cinema too. 'There are no academic opportunities to study film in Jerusalem. But the city needs crews trained in different aspects of visual storytelling. Through the festival, we try to show young people that building skills in this field could benefit them professionally. At the same time, we're working to open channels with colleges and vocational schools, to encourage them to introduce film education. I dream of seeing a film institute in Jerusalem.' One of the most tangible outcomes of the festival's training efforts is its youth film production initiative. 'Each year, we select five out of 15 short film projects developed in the workshops, and we help produce them with the participation of all the trainees. Some of these films have even gone on to screen at festivals.' Throughout the year, JAFF organises a community-based film club, screening movies for children, youth and families in partnership with local centres in the isolated villages and neighbourhoods surrounding Jerusalem. 'It's deeply moving when people in these areas share memories of visiting cinemas that no longer exist: Cinema Al-Hamra, Cinema Al-Quds, Cinema Al-Zahra on Salah Al-Din Street. They recall how they would save pocket money for the tickets...' Curation is arguably the festival's most crucial challenge, a delicate process that requires deep caution. 'A single film that provokes the wrong reaction could lead to the festival being shut down. We're always thinking about how to avoid giving either the occupation or segments of our own society any excuse to attack or cancel this experience. It is not easy.' Ane yet, over the last two rounds, 'we've seen a real increase in the number of filmmakers and distributors from across the Arab world reaching out to us, asking to screen their films at JAFF.' Another major challenge is funding. In the inaugural year, five years ago, significant support came from the Palestinian private sector, which has since gradually stopped supporting the festival for a range of reasons. But the backing the festival has received from across the Arab world is nothing short of exemplary. 'Everyone wanted to contribute something to Jerusalem. They gave us their films, their advice, their unconditional support.' Shaheen also highlights the importance of local partnerships with Palestinian institutions, particularly the Palestinian National Theatre (Al-Hakawati), which has hosted screenings since the inaugural round. Other key partners include the French Cultural Centre in Jerusalem, which screens selected films in its garden, and the Dar Al-Tifl Al-Arabi Foundation, which hosts screenings and offers guided tours of its museum. In addition, the festival organises screenings in the Old City of Jerusalem, often paired with walking tours that explore the area's historic landmarks. This year, the festival also partnered with a popular youth café in the city, where films were screened as part of the café's weekly cultural events — a great success. JAFF has incorporated guided tours into its programme since the very beginning. These tours are designed for both guests visiting from outside Jerusalem and local residents, offering insight into the city's cultural and historical legacy. Though the festival isn't a large-scale economic force, Shaheen believes it still contributes meaningfully to local life. 'We know it's a modest contribution,' she says, 'but its impact is real. We're helping support hotels, restaurants, and small businesses by welcoming guests from outside the city. And everyone encourages us to keep going. That support means the world to us.' Shaheen says it was always her dream to have the festival screen films in open public spaces across Jerusalem. But under occupation, that's simply impossible. 'Holding public screenings requires permits from the occupying authorities, and that's something we will never be willing to pursue... All of us, as cultural institutions in Jerusalem, share the same anxiety: how to keep going. We need each other. Our survival is interconnected. When one of us continues, we all do.' Shaheen highlights the importance of having an experienced artistic director from outside the country, a decision that has brought both balance and perspective to the festival since its inception. 'In the first and second editions, the role was held by Elias Khlat, who is also the founder and director of the Tripoli Film Festival. In the third edition, Palestinian film critic Ola Al-Sheikh took over as artistic director. And this year it was the Egyptian film critic Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rahim. Having an artistic director with solid experience helps us immensely, especially since we in Palestine can't always travel freely, attend other festivals, or engage with the wider industry the way we'd like to.' Shaheen began her professional journey in cultural management after studying in Beirut, where she lived for eight years. First, she joined the Taawon Welfare Association, an organisation that supports Palestinian cultural initiatives. It was there, she says, that she understood the importance of strong, vibrant cultural institutions for sustaining communities. It was also there that the dream of creating her own initiative in her hometown began to take shape. 'I'm from Jerusalem,' she says, 'and I've always felt that my city is marginalised because of the reality of living under occupation. Since the Oslo Accords, that marginalisation has only deepened because most of the organisations working in Jerusalem moved to the West Bank. Today, there are only a few still active with youth in the city. I constantly worry about Jerusalem. I feel like it's slipping through our fingers. I've always dreamed of doing something for this city to resist its Israelization, to affirm its Arab identity, and to create spaces where people can engage, connect, and feel they deserve to live. The Jerusalem Arab Film Festival is just a small contribution to that goal. It's about breathing cultural life into the city. I'm proud that the festival, especially over the last two rounds, has become one of Jerusalem's most important cultural events.' Looking back on the festival's early days, Shaheen recalls how much effort went into laying its foundation, building networks, learning from experience, and traveling to other festivals. Among the most important stops on that journey was the Cairo International Film Festival. 'Cairo has been a hugely important city for me, and for the Jerusalem Arab Film Festival,' she says. 'There, I connected with so many industry professionals from across the Arab world. Cairo brings everyone together. It really is the launchpad for artists across the region.' Five editions in, Sheheen is proud not just of how far the festival has come but of how many people have helped to bring it there. With each passing year, its network of partners, volunteers, and supporters has grown stronger. 'There's a growing desire to contribute to this space,' she says, 'to be part of something that's making a real difference in and through Jerusalem.' * A version of this article appears in print in the 24 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
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