People attend the 10th Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) in Aswan, Egypt, on April 20, 2026. The 10th AIWFF opened Monday evening in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan with a red-carpet ceremony along the Nile Riverbank, launching a six-day event dedicated to women's issues, stories, and cinematic achievements. (Photo: Xinhua)

ASWAN, Egypt, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The 10th Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) opened Monday evening in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan with a red-carpet ceremony along the Nile Riverbank, launching a six-day event dedicated to women's issues, stories, and cinematic achievements.

Running from April 20 to 25, the festival is showcasing 68 films from 34 countries, including the host country Egypt, France, the Netherlands, China, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Tajikistan, Bolivia and Peru.

The festival lineup features 10 titles in the Feature Film Competition and 21 in the Short Film Competition, both of which are international categories. The local Egyptian program highlights national talent through three specialized contests: Films with Impact (nine films), South Films (10 films), and Workshop Films (18 films).

AIWFF president Mohamed Abdelkhalik said that one of AIWFF's main achievements over the past decade has been building a real filmmaking base in Upper Egypt, depicting the festival as a growing pool of young filmmakers and technicians from the south.

The festival's real strength lies in its human resources, he said, noting that the filmmaking workshops expanded from Upper Egypt's Aswan to Assiut for the first time this year.