Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival takes place Nov 11 - 20, 2026 in Cairo, Egypt. The dress code is Formal or black tie for opening and gala premieres; smart-casual for daytime screenings. Typical cost ranges from 100 to 400 EUR per person.
The oldest film festival in the Arab world and Africa and the region's only FIAPF-accredited A-list festival, running since 1976; the 47th edition takes place Nov 11 - 20, 2026. World premieres, retrospectives and regional talent converge on the Cairo Opera House complex, alongside the Cairo XR strand. Ticket prices are remarkably low for a festival of this pedigree.
- When
- Nov 11 - 20, 2026
- Where
- Cairo, Egypt
- Dress code
- Formal or black tie for opening and gala premieres; smart-casual for daytime screenings
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 100 to 400 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 18 - 26C, dry and sunny Cairo autumn
- When to book
- Screening tickets are sold during the festival at the Opera House - book Zamalek/Nile hotels a month or two out
- Getting there
- CAI (Cairo), 30 - 45 min to the Cairo Opera House on Gezira Island
- Where to stay
- Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah (next to the Opera House), Cairo Marriott Hotel (Zamalek)
- Official site
- https://www.ciff.org.eg/en
How to attend
Buy screening tickets at the Cairo Opera House box office or online via ciff.org.eg once the schedule is published shortly before opening; most tickets cost only a few euros. Opening and gala nights are more exclusive, but competition and panorama screenings are open to everyone.
Screening tickets only go on sale at the Cairo Opera House box office once the programme is published shortly before the festival, and the official site has no ticket page yet.
Insider tip
Screenings cost only a few euros - stay in Zamalek and you can walk to the Opera House grounds and catch three or four films a day.
Get inside Cairo International Film Festival
Booking matters here: screening tickets are sold during the festival at the Opera House - book Zamalek/Nile hotels a month or two out. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
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