Festival Cinema Mediterraneen Montpellier (CINEMED) Honors Mohamed Hefzy

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Described as the Man Who Is Revolutionizing Egyptian Cinema

Festival Cinema Mediterraneen Montpellier (CINEMED) Honors Mohamed Hefzy


In an article, highlighting his achievements and describing him as the man who is revolutionizing Egyptian and Arab cinema, Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen Montpellier (CINEMED) announced that it will honor producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzy during its 41st edition (October 18-26) with the presence of key French and European professional filmmakers.

Simultaneously, Hefzy's film production Certified Mail will have its French premiere at the festival's official competition. The film landed world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The festival will also screen several films produced by Hefzy.

The festival highlighted Hefzy's incredible career milestones and his production and co-production of 30 films in Egypt, the United States, the UK and the Arab world. These films participated in the world's most prestigious festivals, including: Cannes, Sundance, Venice, Berlin, and Toronto, and reaped more than 80 awards.

The festival mentioned that Hefzy was picked by Variety magazine on its list of "Ten Names You Need to Know in the Arab Film Industry", has supported independent Egyptian cinema and did not shy away from the risks associated with supporting new filmmakers who reveal in their work different facets of Egyptian life. He also explored the world of underground art in Microphone by Ahmd Abdalla, and collaborated with Diab on the film Clash that portrayed the ensuing violence during an important political phase in the history of Egypt. The film opened the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.

Hefzy also continued to support promising directors, producing Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim by Sherif El Bendary, Sheikh Jackson by Amr Salama as well as co-producing Yomeddine by Abou Bakr Shawky, the latter of which was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.

The festival commended Hefzy's role in organizing the Cairo International Film Festival since taking over as Festival President in 2018, and establishing Cairo Industry Days, giving Egyptian filmmakers the opportunity to present their projects to international experts.