The Arab Cinema Center (ACC) has revealed that 42 film critics from 13 Arab countries have joined the jury for the Arab Critics' Awards for European Films, a new section of its Critics' Awards for Arab Films launched in partnership with EFP (European Film Promotion). The Arab Critics' Awards for European Films will select the best European film out of the entries submitted by the national film promotion institutes from throughout Europe. The award ceremony will be hosted at this year's edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), to be held in November.

Sonja Heinen, EFP's Managing Director says: "We are absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to show a fine selection of films representing the great diversity of European cinema to such a distinguished jury of Arabian film critics. We are very grateful that the Arab Cinema Center has opened their established Critics' Awards to include European films, and we are keen to see how the films will be received."

Maher Diab and Alaa Karkouti, founders of the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), comment: "The Arab Cinema Center appreciates the trust that Arab critics put in the Arab Critics' Awards for European Films and their awareness of its value and role in the sharing of knowledge and cultural exchange within the cinema world. We will start this initiative with 42 film critics from 13 Arab countries. These numbers indicate abundance and diversity as the main characteristics of the future of this initiative."

Producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzy, President of the Cairo International Film Festival, says: "I'm thrilled to witness the expansion of the Critics' Awards to include European films in addition to Arab films. I believe that the Cairo International Film Festival is the perfect platform for hosting such an event."

List of film critics participating in the Arab Critics' Awards for European Films (in alphabetical order):
Abdelkarim Ouakrim (Morocco), Abdelkrim Kadri (Algeria), Abdul Sattar Naji (Kuwait), Ahmed Shawky (Egypt), Ali Wajeeh (Syria), Amal Gamal (Egypt), Andrew Mohsen (Egypt), Erfan Rashid (Iraq, Italy), Essam Zakaria (Egypt), Hammadi Gueroum (Morocco), Hassan Haddad (Bahrain), Hauvick Habéchian (Lebanon), Houda Ibrahim (Lebanon), Husam Asi (Palestine, UK), Ibrahim Haj Abdi (Syria), Ikbal Zalila (Tunisia), Kadhum Saloom (Iraq), Kais Kassem (Iraq, Sweden), Khaled Mahmoud (Egypt), Khalid Ali (Sudan/UK), Khalil Demmoun (Morocco), Lamia Guiga (Tunisia), Magda Khirallah (Egypt), Mahdi Abbas (Iraq), Mohamed Atef (Egypt), Mohamed Benaziz (Morocco), Mohammed Chouika (Morocco), Mohammed Rouda (Lebanon, UK), Nabil Hadji (Algeria), Nada Azhari (Syria), Nadim Jarjoura (Lebanon), Nageh Hassan (Jordan), Ola Kamel Al-Sheikh (Palestine, UAE), Ola Shafey (Egypt), Ossama Abdel Fattah (Egypt), Rachid Naim (Morocco), Rasha Hosny (Egypt), Safaa Elaisy (Egypt), Safaa Jibara Al-saleh (Iraq, UK), Tarek Ben Chaabane (Tunisia), Tarek El Shinnawi (Egypt), Ziad Khuzai (Iraq).

About European Film Promotion:

EFP (European Film Promotion) is an international network of film promotion institutes from 37 countries from throughout Europe, each representing their national films and talent abroad. Under the EFP flag, these organisations come together to jointly promote the diversity and spirit of European cinema and talent at key film festivals and markets, in particular outside of Europe. EFP is financially supported by the Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union and by its member organisations.

The Hamburg-based office is backed by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and the Ministry of Culture of the City of Hamburg. For more information please visit www.efp-online.com

About Arab Cinema Center (ACC):

Organized by MAD Solutions, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) this year celebrates its fifth year since its inception in 2015. A non-profit organization registered in Amsterdam, the ACC is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. The ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others.