Seeking to encourage and equip emerging Christian film-makers from Egypt and the Middle East – and allowing them to focus on the issues that most concern them – were the goals of the first-ever Salam (‘Peace’) Film Festival, which has taken place in Alexandria.
The brainchild of Christian TV station SAT-7 and the Evangelical Church of Egypt, the Festival comprised 26 films which were shown and competed for a series of awards.
The Best Director prize went to Samuel Milad for Mariam, the story of an impover-ished girl who, trusting God to supply her needs, gave all her savings to a mission to Africa at her church. Ramy Mourad’s movie Pandemic won the Audience Award and Marathon, by Ebram Kamel, was awarded the Special Jury Award.