ESLCSA Students Curate Short Film Showcase Cinema Again & Forever

Short films have long functioned as a metric of what emerging filmmakers are preoccupied with, formally, politically, and emotionally. Cinema Again and Forever builds on that idea, presenting a programme curated by those closest to these concerns: young film students who are themselves future filmmakers and programmers.

Taking place on January 13th and 14th at the French Institute in Mounira, the two-day programme is conceived and run by ESLSCA Cinematic Studies students under the guidance of filmmaker and educator Tariq Abdalla. As the first university-led initiative of its kind in Egypt, the project positions short cinema as an active cultural practice, engaging directly with audiences beyond academic contexts.

The programme brings together world premieres, Egyptian premieres, and first-time screenings in Cairo. It offers a snapshot of the themes shaping emerging Egyptian voices today—memory, belief, loss, and identity.

The programme opens on Tuesday, January 13th at 6:00 PM with the Egyptian premiere of Better Than Earth (2024) by Sherif El Bendary, following its world premiere at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. El Bendary is known for the feature film Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim (2016) and the short Dry Hot Summer (2015).

Shorts Program I (Tuesday, January 13th, 8:00 PM) explores memory, faith, and absence through four films: A Sacrificed Memory by Aya Tariq, The Call of the Brook by Jad Chahine, Eman by Amir Youssef, and My Brother, My Brother by Saad and Abdelrahman Dnewar, screening in Cairo for the first time.

On Wednesday, January 14th at 8:00 PM, Shorts Program II focuses on moments of transition and self-discovery. The selection includes Action, Nadia, Cut! by Salma El-Sharnouby, Fushia by Sherouk Helal (world premiere), Dreamy, Uncertain & Dying Everyday by Hossam Waleed, The Day After by Zeina Amr, and S the Wolf by Sameh Alaa, also screening in Cairo for the first time.

Cinema Again and Forever is open to the public and free of charge, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.