Cairo Film Festival Artistic Director Mohamed Tarek on Trusting Audiences: They ‘Are Often More Adventurous Than We Imagine’

Nov 12, 2026 6:23am PT Cairo Film Festival Artistic Director Mohamed Tarek on Trusting Audiences: They ‘Are Often More Adventurous Than We Imagine’

By Essie Assibu

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Essie Assibu

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For Mohamed Tarek, one of the biggest lessons from his first year as artistic director of the Cairo Intl. Film Festival came from an unexpected source – the audience. After drawing approximately 45,000 ticket sales last year, the festival is building on that response with an expanded program that challenges traditional screening hierarchies, introduces new initiatives for younger audiences and brings films to more venues across the Egyptian capital.

“The most important lesson was that audiences are often more adventurous than we imagine,” Tarek tells Variety as CIFF celebrates 50 years since its founding. The festival’s 47th edition runs Nov. 11–20.

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