The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has announced that Tunisian star Dhafer L'Abidine will serve as a jury member of its International Competition taking place at its 40th edition (November 20-29, 2018).

The jury members were announced during a press conference held by the festival today, Monday. The jury brings together Egyptian director Hala Khalil, Lebanese actress Diamand Bou Abboud, Kazakh actress Samal Yeslyamova, Belgian actress Natasha Renee, Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, Argentinian producer and screenwriter Juan Vera and Italian director Francesco Munzi. The festival selected Danish director Bille August to be the jury president of the competition.

Dhafer L'Abidine enjoyed a successful career in the West, appearing in international film productions, such as Children of Men (2006), Sex and the City 2 (2010), Centurion (2010), Black Forest (2012), and Rise of the Footsoldier (UK). Most recently, L'Abidine took part in the British TV mini-series The State, which was nominated for several awards last year, including a BAFTA, besides his role in the American TV series The Looming Tower that received four Emmy nominations.

Dhafer went on to appear in numerous popular British television dramas, including Spooks (BBC), Strike Back (Sky TV/CINEMAX), Wallander (ITV), Wire in the Blood (ITV), Hunted (BBC/HBO), season 5 of the French TV series Engranages on Canal+ and the American TV series Transporter on TNT and HBO Canada. Recently, Dhafer appeared in the British TV series Fearless.

As for Arab films, L'Abidine starred in several Tunisian films, including Dowaha (Buried Secrets) (2009), which got selected at many international film festivals, Fin December (2010), and Fausse Note (2012). And outside Tunisia, he starred in the Egyptian action-comedy film Esmat Abu Shanab (2016) and the Lebanese film Habbet Caramel (2017), a spin off of Caramel TV series. Habbet Caramel made great success in Lebanese theaters selling more than 66 thousand tickets in its first week. The film also attracted audiences while screening in many Arab countries.