Tips from the culture desk: Mostly films, mostly on Sunday

Sunday is the epicenter of various film events happening in Cairo and Alexandria. Zawya hosts a screening of Waheed Sobhi’s informative documentary We are Egyptian Armenians, which is worth seeing, on Sunday, then Oscar winner Manchester by the Sea and Dalida during the week. The PhotoCairo6, a multifaceted visual art event, is still ongoing until March 16, and if you’re craving something outside the usual downtown spaces, catch this group exhibition by young local artists in Zamalek on Saturday.

Cairo International Women’s Film Festival — starts Saturday

Showcasing a selection of approximately 60 films made by women directors from 23 countries, the 10th Cairo International Women’s Film Festival opens with Argentinian film The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis, with filmmaker Andrea Testa in attendance. Looking back on a decade of screenings, the festival features a “Best of 10 Years” section, and to coincide with International Women’s day, there's a full day of events at Falaki Theater on March 8, including film screenings and live music.

March 4-9. Opens at 7 pm, March 4, Falaki Theater, 24 Falaki Street, downtown Cairo. More info on venues and schedule here.

Analogue Zone screenings — Sunday

As part of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s rich current film programming, it is screening eight experimental shorts by Egyptian filmmakers, made using analogue cameras, mainly in collaboration with Cimatheque. They are a selection from about 30 films produced as part of the Analogue Zone project, which took place in Cairo and Berlin between 2012 and 2016. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the project's mentors, filmmaker Islam El Azzazi and French producer Michel Balagué.

7 pm, March 5, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Chatby, Alexandria. More info here.

Creative Cities publication launch — Monday

In late 2015, urban planners, architects, academics and local stakeholders gathered for CLUSTER's Creative Cities conference to discuss the future of downtown Cairo. The conversations that happened over those few days were the basis of this publication, which summarizes, analyzes and reflects on public space, heritage, urban culture and gentrification. The book launch is accompanied by a panel of speakers, including CLUSTER’s co-founders, filmmaker Tamer El Said, and former Minister of Culture Emad Abu Ghazi, as well as Mada Masr's own director Lina Attalah.

6.30 pm, March 6, Oriental Hall, the American University in Cairo Tahrir campus, 113 Qasr al-Aini street, downtown Cairo. More info here.

Music documentaries — Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday

After a long winter break, Cimatheque is back to programming in its small, state-of-the-art, apartment cinema. This month focuses on how cinema has examined and responded to music genres and trends from the 1960s onwards, especially looking at music's ability to crystalize moments of social upheaval. Sunday is The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), which interprets the classic Hollywood musical through the prism of 1960s aesthetics and concerns. Later in the week there's Gimmie Shelter (1970), which chronicles the 1969 Rolling Stones tour, as well as Ahmed El Maânouni's Tances (1981) on Morocco’s prolific band Nas El Giwane.

4 pm and 7 pm on March 5, 7 and 9 at Cimatheque, 19a Adly Street, downtown Cairo. Full program here.

Berlinale Forum selection — Monday to Thursday

A selection from Berlin International Film Festival’s more experimental sections, Forum and Forum Expanded, happily makes its way to Alexandria this week. Brought together by the Network for Arab Alternative Screens with the Berlinale Forum and Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art in Berlin, the "Think Film" program includes features and shorts shown in the 2016 and 2017 Berlinales.

 7 pm, March 6-9 at Wekalet Behna, 1 Kanisa al-Marouneya Street, Manshiya, Alexandria. Full program here.