Cairo Film Festival Brings Islam To Cinema

"Cairo film fest brings Islam to the big screen" from al-Arabiya reports on the only film festival in the International Federation of Film. 

The festival, which kicked off on last Tuesday, has a history of launching new artistic initiatives every year to further develop the Arab film industry. It is the only Arab festival belonging to the International Federation of Film, which includes Cannes and 11 other major festivals.

“For this year’s competition we added two new categories which we found pressing and timely: Human Rights Films and Islam in International Cinema,” Egyptian media critic and CIFF Jury member Yusuf Sherif Rizqullah told AlArabiya.net.

The past few years have seen a surge of T.V shows and films on Islam and Muslims. Portrayals ranging from comic episodes like the Canadian ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ to the serious Scottish drama ‘Yasmin,’ the serious Indian film ‘Khuda Kay Liye’ (In the name of God) underscore the international market that exists for films about Islam.