The 42nd Cairo International Film Festival unveiled its 2020 awards at a gala ceremony held on December 10, 2020 at the Cairo Opera House.

Awards were presented to:

 The Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film: Limbo by Ben Sharrock (UK)

Limbo | Photo Courtesy of Protaganist Pictures

The Silver Pyramid – Special Jury Award for Best Director:
Ivan I. Tverdovsky – Conference (Russia, Estonia, UK, Italy)

The Bronze Pyramid Award for Best First or Second Work of a Director:
Mayye Zayed – Lift Like a Girl (Egypt, Germany, Denmark)

Conference

Best Actress Awards: Elham Shahin – Curfew by Amir Ramses (Egypt) Natalya Pavlenkova – Conference by Ivan I. Tverdovsky (Russia, Estonia, UK, Italy)

Best Actor Award: Julian Vergov – German Lessons by Pavel G. Vesnakov (Bulgaria, Germany)

Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best Screenplay: 50 or Two Whales Meet on the Beach by Jorge Cuchi (Mexico)

Henry Barakat Award for Best Artistic Contribution: Limbo by Ben Sharrock (UK)

 Jury Special Mention: Gaza Mon Amour by Arab Nasser & Tarzan Nasser (Palestine, France)

Cinema of Tomorrow 

Special Mention of the Jury: Life on the Horn by Mo Harawe (Somalia, Austria, Germany), The Girls Who Burned the Night by Sara Mesfer (Saudi Arabia)

Special Jury Award: The Game by Roman Hodel (Switzerland)

Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film: Isabel by Sarah Al Shazly (Cuba)

Isabel

Best Arab Film selected in any of the three competitions ($5,000): Gaza Mon Amour by Arab Nasser & Tarzan Nasser (Palestine, France), We Are From There by Wissam Tanios (Lebanon, France)

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award: Limbo by Ben Sharrock (UK)

International Critics’ Week Competition 

Shadi Abdel Salam Award for Best Film: Jing Wang – The Best is Yet to Come (China)

Fathy Farag Award/The Special Jury Award: Gold by Rogier Hesp (The Netherlands)

The Horizons of New Arab Cinema Competition 

Saad Eldin Wahba Award for Best Arabic Film: Roy Arida – Under the Concrete (France, Lebanon)

Salah Abu Seif Award /The Special Jury Award: Abdulaziz Alshlahei – The Tambour of Retribution (Saudi Arabia)

Best Non-Fiction Film Award: Wissam Tanios – We Are From There (Lebanon, France)

Best Acting Performance Award: Faisal Al Dokhy – The Tambour of Retribution (Saudi Arabia)

Jury Special Mention: Mohamed Mouftakir – The Fall of Apple Trees (Morocco)

Youssef Cherif Rizkallah Award – Audience Award ($15,000): Mayye Zayed – Lift Like a Girl (Egypt, Germany, Denmark)

Photos Courtesy of CIFF.