The Alternative Film Centre Cimatheque in Cairo has announced it will no longer take part in the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), joining a cultural boycott called by the Palestinian Film Institute.
In a statement, Cimatheque said it is withdrawing in solidarity with the Palestinian Film Institute’s call for a boycott of the festival. Under this decision, restored films by Egyptian filmmaker Atteyat El-Abnoudy and Sudanese artist Hussein Shariffe will not be shown in Berlin this year.
The works — Oghneyet Touha Al Hazina (The Sad Song of Touha, 1972) and The Dislocation of Amber (1975) — were recently restored by Cimatheque and had been scheduled for screening at the festival. Yet, in response to the broader boycott appeal, the centre chose to hold back the films as part of its cultural protest.
The cultural boycott is framed as a form of solidarity with Palestinians and a call for international support for freedom of artistic expression. Organisers of the boycott have criticised the Berlinale for not adopting the concrete measures they sought, saying they hoped the festival would be a platform for filmmakers who speak out against human rights abuses.
The Palestinian Film Institute (PFI) is a group focused on supporting Palestinian cinema and artists. It has been part of broader efforts to highlight the Palestinian experience and push for cultural solidarity with Palestinians in the face of conflict and human rights concerns.
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