Offering a total budget of $100,000, at least three Egyptian filmmakers will receive funding to produce or complete their films.
OTT platform Viu has partnered with the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) to launch a program encouraging the development and production of short films directed by emerging Egyptian filmmakers.
The initiative is part of Cairo Industry Days, a segment of CIFF which, in its second round this year, brought significant developments to the Egyptian film industry. The funding selection to produce short Viu films will be announced in early 2020, after assessing the projects submitted and selecting the best projects to receive funding.
According to the rules of the fund, the filmmakers must be of Egyptian nationality or be of Egyptian origin with a creative dossier on a non-professional level. The script for the film must be an original work by the scriptwriter and in the final development phase.
The running time must not be less than 10 minutes and not more than 30 minutes. The film must be linked to a production company. Applications to finance the production of short Viu films are accepted until January 20, 2020, via the project website.
Commenting on the partnership, Mohamed Hefzy, president of CIFF, said: “At CIFF, we are committed to maintaining our longstanding legacy of bridging the Arab cinematic world with the global industry. This year, we have doubled down on our focus on regional cinema. We are delighted to be partnering with Viu, the leading OTT platform in the region. As part of the partnership, emerging professionals in the region will have the chance to be recognised and directly contribute to the evolving filmmaking scene.”
Wesam Kattan, VP of Viu Middle East, added: “By partnering with the CIFF to bring this competition to life, we seek to build a better infrastructure for up-and-coming filmmakers in the region. The initiative reinforces Viu’s pioneering role in stimulating the content sector of the region by allowing emerging storytellers to be heard by giving them the opportunity to showcase their films to industry experts as well as the chance to host it exclusively on Viu.”
