The head of the Suez Comedy Film Festival, screenwriter Mahfouz Abdel Rahman, announced Tuesday the cancellation of the first-time event due to international strains caused by the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, according to AFP.
Several invitees who were expected to light up the stage sent their regrets in the wake of the attacks, in which 6,000 died.
“We felt sorry for these regrets, which increased out of fear of possible military actions in the region. We are disappointed to postpone the festival one whole year before it appears on the map of film festivals,” Abdel Rahman told the agency.
The festival was scheduled to be held during the period October 24-30 and to screen comedy films from 26 countries including the US. The head of the Dutch Rotterdam Festival, Sandradein Hamer, was nominated to head the international jury of the festival's official contest.
Earlier, the Egyptian Society for Cinema Writers and Critics had decided to hold the first event without a formal contest, in light of it being a founding event.
The festival was scheduled to be dedicated to late comedian Ismail Yasin and to honor the comedy stars Adel Imam and Durid Lahham – Albawaba.com
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