Cairo International Film Festival cancels closing ceremony due to clashes

Given current circumstances in the country, particularly clashes at the presidential palace in Heliopolis, and after several meetings of the organisational team of the 35th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), its vice president, Soheir Abdel Kader, and other stakeholders took the decision to cancel the closing ceremony of the festival set to take place Thursday evening, 6 December. The closing ceremony was set to start at 6pm. Instead, the festival's organisational team will hold a press conference on at 1pm in the Cairo Opera House main theatre to announce the festival's winners and give away the prizes. The festival this year was the first post-revolution CIFF. Due to organisational issues, lack of publicity and ongoing political turmoil the festival saw scant attendance in spite of an ambitious programme.From ahramonline