On the afternoon of November 28, the "China-Egypt Film Industrial Conference" was successfully held at the Kempinski Nile Hotel in Cairo, Egypt. The event was attended by over 60 representatives from film authorities, production companies, film academies, distribution platforms, and other institutions of both countries. Key attendees included Mao Yu, Executive Deputy Director of the National Film Administration; Ahmed Badawi, Managing Director of the Egypt Film Commission; Zhang Yi, Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Egypt and Director of the China Cultural Center in Cairo; among others.
Focusing on Full-Industry Chain Cooperation, Deepening Pragmatic Exchanges
Centered on the theme of "Deepening China-Egypt Film Cooperation," the conference focused on the coordinated development of the entire film industry chain, including creation, production, and distribution. Discussions delved into topics such as co-production, cross-cultural storytelling, regional distribution, and talent cultivation. The exchange was chaired by Qian Feng, Chairman of Ori Group.
Zhang Xuxia, Director of the China Film Archive; Zheng Zhihao, CEO of Maoyan Entertainment; Zhang Miao, Founder of Beijing Jingcai; director Da Peng; and screenwriter Xu Luyang shared insights on film restoration and preservation, industrial production, data-driven distribution, and youth creative exchanges. From the Egyptian side, prominent producer Islam Abdul Hakim; Hisham Anan, Dean of the Higher Institute of Cinema; Director Amin El Massry; Ashraf Hamid, Founder of Vibration; and Abdul Rahman Amin, Head of Distribution of MAD Group, elaborated on the broad prospects for China-Egypt collaboration from perspectives such as industrial upgrading, international distribution, and global market expansion. During the interactive session, both sides engaged in thorough discussions on practical issues including film co-production, talent development, and market expansion, leading to multiple pragmatic consensuses on cooperation.
Strengthening Institutional Development, Advancing Cooperation to Greater Depths.
In his concluding remarks, Mao Yu, Executive Deputy Director of the National Film Administration, stated that as ancient civilizations, films play an irreplaceable bridging role in the cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Egypt. This conference effectively facilitated direct communication between filmmakers of the two countries, laying a solid foundation for advancing cooperation from individual projects to full-chain and institutionalized development. China is willing to collaborate with Egypt in practical areas such as film festival cooperation and mutual film screenings, gradually expanding to co-production and technical cooperation, and continuously deepening China-Egypt film exchanges.
In his welcome address, Ahmed Badawi, Managing Director of the Egypt Film Commission, emphasized that the complementary resources of the Chinese and Egyptian film industries offer vast opportunities for collaboration. This conference has established an efficient platform for both sides, and he looks forward to using this opportunity to promote regularized and institutionalized cooperation between the two countries' film industries, jointly fostering the prosperity and development of the regional film industry.
The conference yielded multiple consensuses on key issues such as co-creation, talent cultivation, technical exchanges, and market expansion. Attendees agreed that communication and collaboration between film institutions of the two countries should be further strengthened to lay a more solid foundation for cooperation in areas such as film festivals, project incubation, and joint talent programs. The in-depth exchanges between the Chinese and Egyptian film industries are continuously expanding the scope of collaboration, steadily advancing the coordinated development of the two countries' film industries and promoting mutual learning between civilizations to new heights.
The event was jointly organized by the National Film Administration and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Egypt, co-hosted by the China Film Archive and the China Cultural Center in Cairo, and executed by China Ori Culture Group The successful conclusion of this event has accumulated valuable experience for deepening exchanges and pragmatic cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian film industries, further expanding the breadth and depth of interaction between the two countries' film sectors. It also continues to inject new momentum into cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Egypt.
