The Cairo International Film Festival has named the three-person jury for Cairo Film Connection, its industry platform for Arab projects in development, just days before the festival’s 47th edition opens its doors. The announcement was made under the festival’s presidency, held by veteran Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy, ahead of a run scheduled from November 11 to 20, 2026, as part of the broader Cairo Industry Days program.
Heading the panel is Rola Nasser, a Jordanian-Canadian producer and founder of The Imaginarium Films. She began her career at the BBC and Discovery before joining Jordan’s Royal Film Commission, where she helped build a mentorship program for emerging filmmakers. Her producing credits since then span Jordan and the Gulf, often in partnership with outfits such as Twofour54, Image Nation Abu Dhabi and MBC Studios.
Joining her is Daniela Tsola, a German producer and distribution specialist whose résumé includes a stint as CEO of Filmotopia Distribution and a role representing the European film fund Eurimages in Slovakia. She ran the Four Elements film festival from 2008 to 2017 before moving to Pluto Films in 2016, rising to head its acquisitions division in 2022.
Rounding out the jury is Egyptian writer-director-producer Mohamed Rachad, active in the industry since 2005 and a co-founder of Hassala for Artistic Production, a company built to back first-time feature filmmakers. Rachad’s own debut, the documentary feature « Little Eagles, » premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2016; his fiction debut, « The Colony, » screened in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2025 and picked up awards at both El Gouna and Khouribga. He also directs a Jesuit-run film school in Alexandria that trains young talent.
Cairo Film Connection is one of the flagship professional platforms within Cairo Industry Days, pairing Arab filmmakers at the development or post-production stage with producers, distributors and international funding bodies to widen their path toward co-production deals and global audiences. The jury announcement comes as the festival prepares for a milestone edition: 2026 marks fifty years since its founding in 1976 under the patronage of Egypt’s Ministry of Culture. Accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), the Cairo festival remains one of the oldest and most prestigious film gatherings in the Arab world and across Africa.
