Friday March 29th, 2024
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All the Cool Shnit Happening at Cairo's Upcoming International Short Film Festival

Cancel any plans you have for the second week of October. Seriously – nothing you planned could ever be better than this Shnit.

Staff Writer

We get it. Summer season was amazing, and we never wanted the fun to end. And it did. But apparently, October is when it restarts? While summer was mostly spent outside of Cairo, the beautiful capital is reclaiming everyone's stereotype of it being a shnitty city with nothing to do. Joke's on all of you, haters. Because when all the coasts abandon you, it's Cairo that always has something brewing in its heart, ready to pour it out for you. This time, it's the Shnit International ShortFilmFestival. This is for the film lovers – who don't want to enter a space with a clutter of pseudo-intellectuals, who watch films and light a pipe and talk about their unpopular opinions – who actually want to interact with other humans, getting other perspectives and watching quality films.

It's set to take place on the 5th of October until the 9th at the Cairo Playgrounds – those are the names of the venues, by the way, because they're going to turn into playgrounds as it's not all about film screening, but about different events and platforms ready to be taken over by individuals, families, and friends. For the actual screenings, you'll never have to sit in a screening and watching more than one film that has nothing to do with the other – the organisers got it all down on 'Film Blocks' which are basically themes (you'll find those all laid out below). There are some for kids, some for laughs, some for a bit of romance, and some for the little French or Italian you got up your sleeve. There's so much shnit going on, so we had to make you the ultimate guide to follow up with and pick exactly what you'd like to attend and be part of.

Screenings

We all live short films. It's like getting to read a short story instead of a novel and walking out satisfied, so, this will probably be what most people are interested in – seeing the films! You get to just walk into a screening and for 90 minutes, with one film playing after the other from every pocket in the globe; just know, whatever screening you end up at, you're watching la creme de la creme of short films. Check out the schedule here.

Uber Shnit Scavenger Hunt

No, this doesn't require you to ride an Uber and hunt for anything. But it does entail keeping up with it on the event page on Facebook. This is basically a large scale Uber scavenger hunt that engages all attendees in the competition. What's the competition? You'll find out when you participate – all we're saying is, three players will be getting some irreplaceable prizes. And this will be the ultimate test to your knowledge of Cairo...

Music & Stand Up
@ the Swiss Club on October 8th at 9 PM

Has any festival ever made sense without a music show and heads bumping to music and eyes meeting as songs play? Never. So, for this part of the event, you will get to rock out to the Turntables, Ahmed Samy, Jorg, Saleh Amin, Hassan Abou Alam, and then you have upcoming talents like Bashar, Joey, Azaar and Moose! If you honestly don't know any of these names, we're just saying Shnit is a good time to figure out your hipster identity and search your soul for all that's deep, profound and underground.

REELFOOD
@ the Swiss Club on October 8th from 6 Pm to 8 PM

Yup, this is where you'll find us lurking on Saturday afternoon, because you know anything with food, we're down. This is going to take place at the Swiss Club garden, with tons of food providers – this is all about healthy food. Don't let the word healthy ick you out though; this is co-sponsored by Nourish Community, which is headed by Jamie Oliver and Cameron Diaz. Guys, Jamie Oliver's food is the reason people still watch cooking shows. This is going to have some of Egypt's best food vendors; from veggies to fresh juice, hearty meals, delicious baked goods – it's all organic, and all good. Treat your stomach and your self to delectables from ByBike, Bread & Butter, Ma7aly, InSeason, Stavolta, 3al7atab, Gelateria, and much more.

Pitch4Change
@ the GrEEK Campus on October 9th from 2 PM to 4 PM

Basically, the name says it all. It's a platform where filmmakers have already applied and pitched their ideas for documentary films that can change the world. How did Shnit contribute? What they do is they bring together institutions, philanthropists, and policymakers for networking and sharing knowledge and possibly partnerships and funding. This is obviously a documentary filmmaker's dream come true, because not only are you getting your idea out there, you're learning how to implement it even if it's not picked. 

#TalkingShnit
@ the GrEEK Campus on October 9th from 4 PM to 6 PM

Who doesn't talk Shnit all the time? This time, though, it'll be even better because you'll get to see it happen abundantly right before your eyes; you'll get to sit and watch some of the best filmmakers in this country have discussions, probably rip each other apart a little bit, possibly agree on a few things, and, in any case, it'll be informative and worth attending in case you want to get some masterclasses from the masters themselves. Don't miss the shnit-talking.

Shnit RealTIME Screening

We're not exaggerating or anything, but this where shnit's at; it's possibly the most innovative program, getting you to grind all that creativity you've been hoarding and get it rolling. You'll get the chance of having a limited number of items, or as they call them 'sponsored elements', and somehow, depending on how awesome you are, you'll make a film out of it. This will take place for 3 days, where local filmmakers will come in, get in teams, get briefed, and get it moving. They will have one day to write the script, and another two to shoot and edit and all that good stuff – on Friday October 9th, the results will be screened!

For full screening details, check out Shnit on their Facebook's event page.