"To all those who made us love cinema passionately by their abundant works and soul-stirring writings,"by these few words renowned Film Critic Mahmoud Abdel-Shakour presented his book to prolific adept Youssef Cherif Rizkallah. Released under the patronage of the 18th of the Egyptian National Film Festival, which runs from December 5-12, 2014, the book is a tribute to the legendary connoisseur Youssef Cherif Rizkallah.

Through his official page on Facebook, notable Film Critic Mahmoud Abdel-Shakour described Rizkallah as a strong cinephile which was actually transformed to the latter becoming the main reason behind his deep passion for cinema. Featuring a rare collection of works by prolific Film Critic Rizkallah, Abdel-Shakour added that the book will also integrate a three-session interview with the salient auteur in addition to photos and scans of Rizkallah's certificates of recognition.

Commenting on his work on the book, Abdel-Shakour stated, "I cannot express how happy I am by working on that comprehensive book, which will incorporate detailed analytical studies and writings by the modest gigantic connoisseur Youssef Cherif Rizkallah. I spent al-waqfa "Eid eve" and the following days enjoying reading a large set of his writings which include; an extensive coverage of festivals worldwide starting the early seventies; interviews held with key Egyptian and international filmmakers; the translations of a line-up of major magazines including Cahiers du cinema; in addition to stunning critical studies written in Cairo Film Society and Cinema Club journals. Moreover, Youssef Cherif Rizkallah penned special materials related to his famous TV program Cine Club in Radio and Television magazine.

Along with the festival honoree Youssef Cherif Rizkallah, this year's edition also pays tribute to an array of filmmaking figures namely; directors Raafat El-Mehi, Fouad El-Tohami in addition to great Maali Zayed and adept actor Samir Sabry.

In its new round this year, the festival's program includes Feature-length Competition, Shorts and Animation Competition, in addition to documentaries less than 15 minutes, short features less than 60 minutes and animation films less than 60 minutes as well.