Journalist and film critic Ola Elshafey has been named president of the 42nd Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film Festival. The appointment was made by the board of the Egyptian Association of Film Writers and Critics, headed by critic Samir Shehata. The festival’s next edition has been postponed from 2026 to 2027 to give the association time to carry out institutional reforms.
According to the association’s press release, the appointment is part of a “comprehensive restructuring plan” meant to protect the festival’s standing. The postponement follows directives from Egypt’s Higher Committee for Festivals. The event was launched in 1979, making it one of the country’s oldest film festivals, and it is the only Egyptian festival devoted to the cinema and culture of the Mediterranean basin. It is held each year under the auspices of the ministries of culture, information and tourism.
Elshafey brings experience from journalism, criticism and screenwriting. She graduated from the Faculty of Mass Communication and joined the screenwriting department of the Higher Institute of Cinema in 1999. Her writing credits include the feature film Land of Girls and the short films The End of the World, All This Beautiful Sound and The Wanderers. The last two both won the Best Short Film award at the National Festival for Cinema.
She also holds senior posts in the Egyptian press. Elshafey is chairwoman of the board of Youm7 newspaper and website and managing editor of Al-Ahram, and she has run the arts pages of several major newspapers and magazines. On television she has presented A Seat in Front of the Screen and Children of the Country on ON TV, and on radio she hosts Art Shop on Radio Masr. She has also served on juries at film festivals in Egypt and abroad.
The decision to pause the festival for a year is a notable move for an event with more than four decades of history. With the Higher Committee for Festivals now shaping the timetable, the Alexandria event will now return in 2027 with new leadership and a revised structure. The 42nd edition will be the first organised under her leadership and the new structure. The association has not yet announced dates or a venue plan for the 42nd edition, and further details on the restructuring are expected as preparations move forward under Elshafey.
