Focus Egypt
With “Mish Mish Effendi”, the Frenkel brothers not only created one of the region’s first cartoon heroes but also brought Africa’s first animated film to cinemas in Cairo in 1936. Egypt is widely regarded as a pioneer of African animated film.
Some 90 years later and 17 years after our focus programme “Terra Incognita – Animation Filmmaking in Africa with a Focus on Sub Sahara”, we are delving into the world of Egyptian animation once again.
The Egyptian animation scene is almost exclusively comprised of short film productions, with practically no feature-length works. With the two short film programmes, curated by Youhana Nassif, director of the Animatex Animation Film Festival in Cairo, we offer an insight into recent developments in Egyptian animation while also celebrating its pioneers. The festival, which ranks among the most important for animated film in North Africa, commemorated the 90-year history of Egyptian animation with a special exhibition in February 2026. In cooperation with the Egyptian film archive Cimatheque – Alternative Film Centre, three films by Ihab Shaker have been professionally restored and will celebrate their world premiere in their restored versions at Fantoche.
The screening will be accompanied by a presentation by Seham Shaheen, Cimatheque’s archivist, who will speak about Shaker as an artist, as well as the difficulties of archiving and restoration in the Egyptian context.
The Focus event will be rounded off with the panel discussion “Let’s Talk: Animated Films on the Egyptian Scene”. Although the North African animation scene is growing, today’s creatives often face challenges that involve regional conflicts, limited access to resources and a lack of specialised studios. The event will be moderated by Aida Schläpfer Al Hassani, founder and co-president of the “International Arab Film Festival Zurich”.