The first
BRICS International Student Film Festival was held at the Academy of Arts in Giza. The event was aimed at supporting young talents, promoting cultural dialogue, and strengthening humanitarian ties among BRICS countries.
A total of 135 student films from Egypt, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Africa took part in the festival, according to the
MENA, a partner of TV BRICS, citing a statement by the Russian Cultural Centre in Cairo.
Awards were presented in three categories. The prize for Best Animated Film went to the Russian production “Salamander’s Land”, directed by Ekaterina Ulyanova. The Chinese film “Princess Ariel” was recognised as the Best Short Fiction Film. The award for Best Documentary Short Film was presented to the Indian production “Here Among Strangers”.
Dr. Mona El Sabban, President of the festival and Head of the Arab School of Cinema and Television, expressed hope that BRICS countries would host the festival in the future, that its geographical reach would expand, and that it would strengthen ties and cooperation among young filmmakers from the member states.
For his part, Denis Bronnikov, Deputy Director of the Russian House in Cairo, stated that the participation of Russian students in the festival was driven by a desire to strengthen ties with Egyptian cinema, which holds a leading position in the Arab region.
Sherif Gad, Secretary General of the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association, stressed that the festival deserves comprehensive support, as it opens up broad opportunities for cultural and artistic exchange among young filmmakers from BRICS countries and builds bridges for cooperation between film festivals in these states.
The festival was organised by the Arab School of Cinema and Television, headed by Dr. Mona El Sabban, with the support of Egypt’s Minister of Culture Jehan Zaki and President of the Academy of Arts Nabila Hassan.