Egyptian Filmmaker Ahmed Abdallah's 'Berleen' Will Premiere at CIFF

Egyptian filmmaker Ahmed Abdalla’s latest feature, Berleen, starring Menna Shalaby, has been selected for the 47th Cairo International Film Festival, running from November 11th to 20th, 2026.

Shot in Berlin, Germany, the film explores the lives of Arab migrants navigating questions of identity, displacement, and belonging in the German capital. Its ensemble cast includes Yosra El Lozy, Mohamed Hatem, and Gehad Hossameldin Fadwa Abed.

The selection marks Abdalla’s return to CIFF, where his previous feature, 19B, premiered in the festival’s International Competition in 2022. The film follows an ageing doorman whose isolated life in an abandoned villa is disrupted by an unexpected confrontation. One of Egypt’s established independent filmmakers, Abdalla is known for films including Microphone (2010), Rags and Tatters (2013), and Exterior/Night (2018). Berleen marks his latest return to feature filmmaking and to a festival that has screened several of his previous works.