Over the past nine years, the Cairo International Women’s Film Festival created a meeting space for female filmmakers from around the globe. In addition to screening a large number of local and international features, documentaries, and animation, the festival shed light on dozens of social, cultural, and political issues from a different perspective.

The festival intends to open its tenth annual edition on 4 March, and will screen 59 Egyptian, Arab, and international movies for amateur and experienced filmmakers from 23 countries worldwide.

The opening ceremony will witness the screening of the Argentinian movie The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis, directed by Andrea Testa. The festival has six categories, including International Panorama, Caravan of Arab and Iberoamerican Women's Films, and Tribute to a Cineaste: Agnès Varda.

The festival was initially founded by a group of women who work in the cultural management fields in 2008. According to the its official website, the festival has organized screenings of films in other countries over the past nine years, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Spain, Bolivia, Argentina, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Paraguay, Germany, Nicaragua, Algeria, and Slovenia.

In addition to allowing filmmakers to submit their movies online, the festival also coordinates contact of international festivals to keep track of the best films, and invite their directors to come and share their experience in Egypt. The preparation for the festival takes from five to six months annually.

This year, a new section called “Best of 10 Years” will be introduced to the festival’s schedule, which will screen a number of best movies that were screened in the festival during the last nine editions.