Shadi El-Noshokaty, "Kaiser" Mohamed Fatthi Moussa, Hala Galal, Emad Mabrouk, moderated by Viola Shafik

Cairo, the hotspot of the Middle East, has regained its importance over the last decade in both the amount and quality of productions to assert its position at the centre of film and art production in the Middle East. What was once the "most beautiful city in the world" in the early 1900s is now a busy crowded metropolis. Artists and filmmakers have made the hardness and chaos of the city a source of inspiration. At the same time, an increasingly globalized private sector in a world of mass media, movies and art, has paved the way for new forums. These factors have assisted artists and film­makers­ to redefine their relationship to the political sector.­ Some of the key players in the Cairo film scene discuss the emergence of a new cultural scene, the opening up of alter­native spaces for film and art in this city teeming with millions, which has also succeeded in attracting new audiences. They will reflect on the various aspects that have led to the development of an emerging independent film and video scene despite a film industry and a ­conservative state-controlled cultural environment, and the extent to which film or culture in general succeeds in achieving an autonomous space for reflection and for transmitting alternatives.