The second session of the Catholic Center’s short film competition was opened amid an atmosphere of enthusiasm and creativity, as a large number of young directors and talents gathered to present their distinctive artistic works. This competition aims to enhance cinematic culture and encourage young people to express their ideas and visions through the seventh art. It also seeks to shed light on important social and humanitarian issues that reflect our contemporary reality. The Catholic Center is considered an ideal platform to support these artistic initiatives that It contributes to the development of the local cinematic scene and provides opportunities for creators to present their work to the public and compete for valuable prizes that encourage them to continue in this exciting creative field.
Festival opening "Our generation" For short films and photography
A festival opening ceremony was held on Tuesday evening, October 7, 2025, in the Nile Hall of the Franciscan Fathers "Our generation" In its second session, which bears the name of the late distinguished artist Lotfi Labib, this festival is an important platform for displaying short films and photography, under the auspices of the Egyptian Catholic Center for Cinema, and the ceremony was broadcast live on the competition’s page.
The ceremony began with the showing of a short film highlighting the role of the Catholic Center in supporting Egyptian cinema and creative youth. Then Father Boutros Daniel, Director of the Center, gave a speech in which he announced the official opening of the events, stressing the importance of honoring the artist Lotfi Labib, who enriched the artistic movement in Egypt, and his continued support for fine art. A movie has been selected "Joker" Directed by Nour El-Din Amr Ahmed, it will be the opening film of the second session. The session’s shield was dedicated to the name of the artist Lotfi Labib, and his daughter, Mrs. Christine Lotfi Labib, received it.
Technical paragraph and honors
The ceremony included an artistic performance presented by a team "Harmony in Arabic" Led by Maestro Mahmoud Waheed, they prepared a special song for the ceremony, in addition to a medley of old songs, and a song dedicated to the spirit of the artist Lotfi Labib. After that, a number of icons of art and photography were honored, as the festival’s higher committee chose to honor the artists Aida Riyad, Ahmed Kamal, Hana Shiha, Hisham Mohamed (Chico), and Mohamed Abdel Rahman, in addition to photojournalists Hossam Diab and Amr Nabil.
A short film was also shown highlighting the short film competition jury headed by director Amir Ramses, and the membership of a number of prominent figures in the artistic field. The committee chose 25 films to participate out of 94 films that were submitted, with the participation of eight directors from Tunisia, Morocco and Sudan, and the films varied between novels, documentaries and animation.
Festival and closing activities
Events, presentations of participating works, and artistic seminars will be held throughout the days of October 8 and 9, while the closing ceremony, announcement and distribution of awards will be held on October 10, 2025. Attendance at the events is required by prior registration or by special invitations.
