The 46th Cairo Intl. Film Festival wrapped Friday in an emotionally charged ceremony that balanced the region’s realities with a showcase of bold new cinema. Held at the Cairo Opera House before a packed crowd of Egyptian, Arab and international filmmakers, the gala awarded its top honor, the Golden Pyramid, to Paul Andrew Williams’ “Dragonfly,” while Tarzan and Arab Nasser’s “ Once Upon a Time in Gaza ” emerged as the evening’s other major winner.

A Ceremony Marked by Solidarity

The ceremony opened on a stark humanitarian note. Before any awards were announced, a photo of six-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab filled the screen, accompanied by audio from her final phone call before being killed in Gaza. Festival president Hussein Fahmi, visibly moved, called it a reminder of cinema

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