Cairo International Film Festival holds its first edition in 1976

The first Cairo International Film Festival took place in August 1976, bringing films and filmmakers from Egypt and abroad to the Egyptian capital. It was organised with the backing of the Egyptian Association of Film Critics, whose members, led by the critic Kamal El-Mallakh, were central to launching the event.

At the time, Egypt had one of the largest film industries in the Middle East and North Africa, often called the "Hollywood of the Nile". The festival was meant to place Cairo on the international cinema calendar and to give Arab and African cinema a showcase alongside world productions. Over time it gained recognition from FIAPF, the international body that accredits major film festivals, and became the region's best-known competitive festival.

The event has since become a fixture of Egyptian cultural life. Each year it screens international and Arab films, awards prizes, including its Golden Pyramid, and pays tribute to figures from cinema. Those tributes, such as lifetime achievement awards, have become a regular part of its programme, which is why recent honorees are often placed within the festival's nearly five-decade history.