Hada News
UTH Festival takes short films by makers aged 16 to 30 until 2 November, with finalists to screen at the Grand Egyptian Museum
The youth festival's new short-film strand, run with Solari, is open to Egyptian and Middle Eastern filmmakers; prize details have not yet been published.
Young filmmakers from Egypt and the wider Middle East have until 11:59 pm Cairo time on Monday 2 November to enter a short film for the UTH Festival 2026 competition, according to the festival's open-call page.
The festival, which runs on 20 and 21 November at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, says it is staging the competition in partnership with Solari. Shortlisted films will be shown to a young audience at the museum, and the winner will be named on the festival's main stage during the event.
Who can enter. The call is limited to filmmakers aged 16 to 30, working alone or in teams, with one film per entrant. Running time must fall between three and 12 minutes. Fiction, documentary, animation and experimental work are all accepted, provided the film was made within the past two years. Films in Arabic or English are accepted as they are; any other language needs English subtitles. All footage and other material must belong to the entrant or be properly licensed.
What the form asks for. Entrants submit the finished film with a backup link, a logline, a synopsis capped at 150 words, a crew list, a short director's biography, and short written answers on the film's inspiration.
Timeline. The organisers say they will contact finalists by 12 November and will only reply to shortlisted applicants.
Why it matters: the page says industry guests will watch every shortlisted film, but it also says prize details are still to come, so the reward for winning is not yet known.