The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has released the results of its poll to identify the “Top 25 Egyptian Films of the First Quarter of the 21st Century.” The historic initiative is part of a new strategic partnership with the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and the Egyptian Film Critics Association (EFCA) to celebrate the international federation’s centennial.
The partnership, first announced during the opening of the Egyptian Pavilion at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, was introduced as a tool for the careful documentation and stringent critical review of a crucial phase in Egyptian cinema.
Film Critics Choose I Love Cinema as the Best Egyptian Film of the 21st Century
In the poll, which received considerable participation from 63 members of the Egyptian Film Critics Association, the list of 25 films was selected out of a total of 881 feature films released in Egypt between January 1, 2001, and July 31, 2025. All titles were included in the poll to ensure a level playing field. They encompass films that were distributed to theaters, broadcast on satellite channels, and released on streaming platforms.
In what is a competitive list of the most significant films in Egyptian cinema of the first 25 years of the new millennium, Ossama Fawzy’s I Love Cinema (2004) was chosen as the best Egyptian film of the first quarter of the 21st century. It was followed in the second and third positions by two films by Daoud Abdel Sayed, Messages from the Sea (2010) and A Citizen, a Detective, and a Thief (2001).
Yousry Nasrallah’s Gate of the Sun (2004), Mohamed Khan’s In the Heliopolis Apartment (2007), and Hani Khalifa’s Sleepless Nights (2003) are also on the list, as are Omar Zohairy’s recent hit Feathers (2021) and two films from 2025: Seeking a Way Out for Mr. Rambo and Abu Zaabal 89.
| Rank | Film Title | Year | Director |
| 1 | I Love Cinema | 2004 | Ossama Fawzy |
| 2 | Messages from the Sea | 2010 | Daoud Abdel Sayed |
| 3 | A Citizen, a Detective, and a Thief | 2001 | Daoud Abdel Sayed |
| 4 | Gate of the Sun | 2004 | Yousry Nasrallah |
| 5 | In the Heliopolis Apartment | 2007 | Mohamed Khan |
| 6 | Sleepless Nights | 2003 | Hani Khalifa |
| 7 | The Best of Times | 2004 | Hala Khalil |
| 8 | Microphone | 2011 | Ahmad Abdalla Elsayed |
| 9 | Ibrahim El Abyad | 2009 | Mawran Hamed |
| 10 | The Yacoubian Building | 2006 | Mawran Hamed |
Book to Document the Results of the Poll and Special Discussion Session to Be Held at CIFF 46
The results of the poll will be documented in a book that will be included in CIFF’s roster of official publications of its 46th edition, which will be held from November 12 to 21, 2025.
The book will include written critical analysis of each of the 25 selected films and an extensive discussion of the artistic and production trends that are unique to and have marked Egyptian cinema in its first 25 years in the 21st century. A special discussion session to present and debate the book and its findings will be organized during the festival to give the book the platform it deserves as a future critical reference.
CIFF was established in 1976. It is the only Arab and African festival to have Category “A” accreditation from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). CIFF’s strategic partnership with FIPRESCI, which represents film critics from over 50 countries, reiterates the festival’s commitment to nurturing global film culture.
