Luxor African Film Festival Explained

Luxor African Film Festival
Founded:2012
Last:2023
Directors:Sayed Fouad
Host:Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF)
Location:Luxor, Egypt
Language:Egyptian Arabic
English
Founders:Sayed Fouad, Azza al-Husseny

The Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) is an annual film festival for African cinema in Luxor, Egypt. In October 2019 the Malmö Arab Film Festival recognized LAFF for having "made great strides and [become] one of the most important festivals specialized in African cinema".[1]

Luxor African Film Festival is run by the Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF). Writer Sayed Fouad and director Azza al-Husseny were involved as cofounders.[2] First conceived in mid-2010, the first festival took place in February 2012.[3]

Prizes

The festival awards prizes for both short and long films. In 2013 the prizes were as follows:[3]

Annual editions

Edition Dates Prizes
1stFebruary 2012Grand Nile Prize (Long Film): Soul Boy
Jury Prize (Long Film): Our Beloved Sudan
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Film): Born on the 25th of January
Grand Nile Prize (Short Film): Short Life
Jury Prize (Short Film): The Cry of the Dove
Best Artistic Achievement (Short Film): The Bottom of the Pit
Radwan Al-Kashef Award (Short Film): Living Skin and The Cassava Metaphor
2nd18–24 March 2013Salah Abou-Seif Best Film Award (Long Film): Hidden Beauties
Special Jury Award (Long Film): Nairobi Half Life
Technical Achievement Award (Long Film): La Pirogue
Certificates of Recognition (Long Film): Coming Forth by Day and Town of Runners
Best Film Award (Short Film): Habsin / Softly on Saturday Morning
Special Jury Award (Short Film): Studio
Technical Achievement Award (Short Film): 9th April 1938: Bousculades
Radwan El-Kashef Award: My Beautiful Nightmare
3rd2014Grand Nile Prize (Long Narrative):
Jury Prize (Long Narrative): The Rooftops
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Narrative): Tall As A Baobab Tree
Special Awards: Hassan Ben Badida and Jim Neversink
Grand Nile Prize (Long Documentary): Doaa Aziza
Jury Prize (Long Documentary): The Devil's Lair
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Documentary): The River and Emirs in Wonderland
Grand Nile Prize (Short Narrative): Wooden Hand
Grand Nile Prize (Short Documentary): Made in Gougou
Best Artistic Achievement (Short Film): Haunted Souls
Special Mention: Reda and The Projectionist
Radwan Al-Kashef Award: El Bostan El Saaed Street
4th2015Grand Nile Prize (Long Narrative): The Blue Elephant
Jury Prize (Long Narrative): The Sea Is Behind
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Narrative): Beti and Amare
Special Mentions: L'Œil Du Cyclone and Umutoma
Grand Nile Prize (Long Documentary): Beats of the Antonov
Jury Prize (Long Documentary): Suffering is a School of Wisdom
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Documentary): Paths to Freedom
Radwan al-Kashef Prize: The Past Will Return
Grand Nile Prize (Short Narrative): Warda
Grand Nile Prize (Short Documentary): Motherland
Special Mention: Matanga and Father
5th17 – 23 March 2016[4] Grand Nile Prize (Long Narrative): Mona
Jury Prize (Long Narrative): Without Regret
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Narrative): Free State
Grand Nile Prize (Long Documentary): We Have Never Been Kids
Jury Prize (Long Documentary): Sembene
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Documentary): Roundabout In My Head
Grand Nile Prize (Short Narrative): Stranded
Grand Nile Prize (Short Documentary): Aida
6thGrand Nile Prize (Long Narrative): Kalushi
Jury Prize (Long Narrative): The Children of the Mountain
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Narrative): Our Preacher and Hedi
Grand Nile Prize (Long Documentary): Footprints of Pan-Africanism
Jury Prize (Long Documentary): Little Eagles
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Documentary): White Potion
Grand Nile Prize (Short Film): Le Bleu, Blanc, Rouge des mes Cheveux
Jury Prize (Short Film): We Are Just Fine Like This
Best Artistic Achievement (Short Film): Kandil El Bahr
7th2018Grand Nile Prize (Long Narrative): The Originals
Jury Prize (Long Narrative): Keteke
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Narrative): Benzine
Samir Farid Award (Long Narrative): Wallay
Radwan El-Kashef Prize (Long Narrative): Benzine
Grand Nile Prize (Long Documentary): Mama Colonel
Jury Prize (Long Documentary): Waithira
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Documentary): New Moon
Special Mention (Long Documentary): Sister Courage
Grand Nile Prize (Short Film): Pantheon
Jury Prize (Short Film): Nice, Very Nice
Best Artistic Achievement (Short Film): Imfura
Special Mention (Short Film): Companionship
8thMarch 2019Grand Nile Prize (Long Narrative): The Burial of Kojo
Jury Prize (Long Narrative): Exterior Night
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Narrative): Sew the Winter to My Skin
Special Mention (Long Narrative): Look At Me
FIPRESCI Prize – LAFF 2019 (Long Narrative): Until the End of Time
Radwan El-Kashef Prize (Long Narrative): Mabata Bata
Grand Nile Prize (Long Documentary): Lost Warrior
Jury Prize (Long Documentary): Whispering Truth to Power
Best Artistic Achievement (Long Documentary): Dreamaway
Best Artistic Achievement (Freedom Film): House of the Rivers
Jury Prize (Freedom Film): The Mercy of the Jungle
Al Husseiny Abou-Deif Prize (Freedom Film): Urgent
Grand Nile Prize (Short Film): Timoura
Jury Prize (Short Film): Tithes and Offering
Best Artistic Achievement (Short Film): Ales
Special Mention (Short Film): Sega

Notes and References

  1. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/352362/Arts--Culture/Film/Luxor-African-Film-Festival-Night-makes-waves-in-M.aspx Luxor African Film Festival Night makes waves in Malmö, Sweden
  2. Web site: Al-Youm . Al-Masry . 2019-11-20 . Luxor African Film Festival to feature Youssef Chahine films in Africa . 2023-12-07 . Egypt Independent . en-US.
  3. Thoraia Abou Bakr, Luxor hosts second Luxor African Film Festival, Daily News Egypt, March 19, 2013.
  4. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/197993/Arts--Culture/Film/Actor-Mahmoud-Hemeda-named-honorary-president-of-t.aspx Actor Mahmoud Hemeda named honorary president of 38th Cairo Film Festival