The festival is an annual event held in New York. Its first edition took place in November 2021 at San Francisco College over the course of three days, with the participation of 11 countries showcasing a diverse selection of films including feature-length narratives, short narratives, and documentaries. A total of 40 films were screened throughout the festival. Since its inception, the festival has had primary objectives, which include bridging the gap between science and art by selecting distinguished scientific figures from around the world who have contributed to humanitarian service. Additionally, the festival is hosted within American universities, emphasizing the importance of science in serving art. In its inaugural edition, the festival honored artists for their artistic value and their messages to the people. The second edition was held in 2022 from November 4th to 6th in three American universities: New York University, Middlesex University, and City College, with the participation of 22 countries across five different competition categories: Feature-Length Narrative Films, Short Narrative Films, Documentary Films, Mobile Cinema Films, and Student Films (graduates of film and media universities and institutes).
The Egyptian American Film and Arts Festival embodies idealistic goals connected to reality. These include supporting creativity and creators, encouraging filmmakers and talented individuals, establishing channels of communication between artists and creators, advocating for societal and humanitarian issues, and conducting artistic workshops in acting, directing, music, and screenplay writing. The result of this has been the nurturing of numerous talents, with many vocal, acting, and musical talents being showcased and praised by the audience, as well as various media outlets. We believe that art and culture are the main drivers of the renaissance of nations, and the festival has a dedicated section for American cinema, shedding light on its history, prominent figures, and important issues it has embraced. The festival opens doors for dialogue and the exchange of ideas and cultures between peoples.
The festival has also allocated a section called the Egyptian and Arab Cinema Panorama, where the most important films in the history of cinema are screened.
In addition, the following initiatives have been established:
- Establishing a cinema club in Egypt.
- Establishing a cinema club in New York for screening participant films and international cinema classics throughout the year.
- Establishing an association bearing the name EAFF.
- Including all filmmakers, creators, and directors.
- It is one of the projects executed by the festival.
