Children's film festival at end of March

The 21st Cairo International Children's Film Festival will take place from 23 - 30 March, hosting 351 short, feature and animated films. Many Arab countries are participating this year, including Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Algeria, with most films on the subject of the revolutions in the region. The selection includes several films from Jordan, three of them by the filmmaker Ashraf Magdy. Rod Dagagaty (Give Me Back My Chicken) depicts the struggle between political powers that led to the negligence of the country’s well-being, while Fil Tabour (In the Queue), revolves around the life of a person and the time spent standing in queues. Kesh Mat is an allegory for the Egyptian revolution through a chess game. El Mafkoud (The Missing) by Tarek El-Rimawy, is about a child living in a war-torn country and dreaming of the safe life that he used to know. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia will participate with two films, while Algeria will participate with one. Palestine will also screen a silent film revolving around a boy who is depressed after his father passed away. His friend, Dima, tries to console him and takes him to Jerusalem upon the advice of the grandmother.   This year there will also be 17 lectures on children’s cinema. From Al-ahram