Three filmmakers from Jordan, Germany and Egypt, with careers spanning production, distribution, writing and directing, will assess this year’s Arab projects at Cairo Film Connection, one of the key industry platforms of the 47th Cairo International Film Festival.
Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), headed by President Hussein Fahmy, has announced the jury of Cairo Film Connection (CFC), held within Cairo Industry Days during the festival’s 47th edition, from 11 to 20 November 2026.
The jury brings together Jordanian-Canadian producer Rula Nasser, German producer and distribution expert Daniela Cölle, and Egyptian writer, director and producer Mohamed Rashad. Their varied backgrounds reflect CFC’s aim of looking at Arab projects from several angles and helping them move through development and production towards markets and audiences.
Rula Nasser: from broadcasting to backing filmmakers
A Jordanian-Canadian producer and founder of The Imaginarium Films, Nasser started out with the BBC and Discovery Channel before joining the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, where she helped develop a support programme for filmmakers.
She has produced films in Jordan and the Gulf alongside partners such as twofour54, Image Nation Abu Dhabi and MBC Studios. Her credits include Inshallah a Boy, The Last Friday, Hajjan and My Love Awaits Me by the Sea.
Daniela Cölle: a European eye on a film’s road to market
Cölle combines distribution and acquisitions with years of running educational and cultural programmes in cinema, theatre and dance. She holds a PhD from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.
She was CEO of Filmtopia Distribution, Deputy Representative of Eurimages in Slovakia, and director of the 4 Elements Film Festival from 2008 to 2017. She joined Pluto Film as Managing Partner in 2016 and became its Head of Acquisitions in 2022, while also advising professional film training programmes.
Mohamed Rashad: from Little Eagles to The Settlement
An Egyptian writer, director and producer working in film since 2005, Rashad co-founded Hassala Films, a company devoted to debut features and to guiding emerging filmmakers from project to screen.
His first feature documentary, Little Eagles (2016), premiered at Dubai International Film Festival. In 2025 his fiction feature debut, The Settlement, screened in the Perspectives section of the Berlin International Film Festival and won awards at El Gouna and Khouribga. He also heads the Jesuit Film School in Alexandria, which trains young talent to enter the industry.
About Cairo Film Connection
A key professional platform within Cairo Industry Days, CFC supports Arab film projects in development and post-production, connecting their makers with producers, distributors, film funds and international institutions to open the way to co-production, markets and audiences, while discovering new talent through meetings and awards.
About Cairo International Film Festival
Held annually under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, CIFF celebrates this year 50 years since its first edition in 1976. One of the oldest festivals in the Arab world and Africa, it is officially accredited by FIAPF, the International Federation of Film Producers Associations.
Source: Cairo International Film Festival press office