CAIRO ¬ The joke going around Cairo today is that the Algerian Tribute in the city's international film festival will be withdrawn if the Algerian football team beats Egypt in this Saturday's crunch game. It is only a joke, but the fact is that even the most ardent of Egypt's film buffs are focused on the crucial world cup qualifier that will see one or the other country through to the World Cup finals in South Africa next year. Punters have commented that the orga...

THE CAIRO International Film Festival (CIFF) celebrates its 33rd edition this year from November 10 to November 20. In its long history of successes, last year's triumph would be a hard act to follow. Never before had the festival attracted so many international stars. But the organizers say that this year promises to equal and perhaps even surpass last year's event. The CIFF 2009 enjoys the fine backdrop of 100 years of a distinguished film history. It is undoubtedly the oldest a...