Egypt Named Guest of Honour at Carthage Film Days 2026

Carthage Film Days has named Egypt the Guest of Honour for its 37th edition, which will run in Tunisia from December 12th to 19th under the slogan ‘A Country of One Hundred Years of Cinema and More’.

The Egyptian programme will include dedicated screenings, seminars and tributes, alongside re-screenings of films that previously won awards at the festival. A large Egyptian delegation representing different generations of filmmakers is also expected to attend.

The 2026 edition coincides with the 60th anniversary of Carthage Film Days, founded in 1966 and recognised as the oldest film festival in the Arab and African regions. Festival director Mokhtar Laajimi said Egyptian cinema has played a major role in shaping the festival’s history, with the full programme and list of honourees set to be announced in Tunis later in November.

Egyptian filmmakers have featured prominently across the festival’s history. Youssef Chahine won the Golden Tanit in 1970 for ‘The Choice’, while Tawfiq Saleh won in 1972 for ‘The Dupes’. More recent winners include Ahmed Abdalla’s ‘Microphone’ in 2010, Omar El Zohairy’s ‘Feathers’ in 2021 and Abu Bakr Shawky’s ‘The Tales’ in 2025.

Egyptian actors have also received major acting awards at Carthage, including Ahmed Zaki, Asser Yassin and Elham Shahin.