Cairo International Film Festival Announces Screening of Saudi Film

“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine
“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine
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Cairo International Film Festival Announces Screening of Saudi Film

“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine
“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine

The Cairo International Film Festival has announced the screening of the Saudi film “To My Son” by director and actor Dhafer Abidine as part of the Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition this year.

It is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine, and its story revolves around the return of a Saudi father and his son to Saudi Arabia, after their lengthy residency abroad ended in a painful incident.

L'Abidine’s first film, “Ghodwa”, was shown at the 43rd Cairo International Film Festival, where it won the International Federation of Film Critics Award.

Cairo International Film Festival has earlier announced that it will grant Egypt’s Ahmed Ezz the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence during its 45th session, to be held from November 15 to 24, in appreciation of what he presented throughout his artistic career that began since the end of the nineties.



Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

 A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

 A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Greece is riding a weather "rollercoaster", with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost, meteorologists said on Sunday.

The mercury soared to 31.4 degrees Celsius (88.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday in the central town of Livadia -- the highest-ever recorded for March, according to National Observatory of Athens’ Meteo.gr.

Across the country, other weather stations registered temperatures more typical of balmy May than the closing days of winter.

"The very high maximum temperatures recorded during the last four days (from Wednesday to Saturday) in the country, were record highs for the month of March in many areas," Meteo.gr said.

Following a surge of wildfires, a nationwide ban on burning material on rural properties is in effect until March 18.

"To have such temperatures so early in March, this has never happened before!" meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos told ERT television.

The unusual spike was attributed to a blanket of Saharan dust in the air.

This winter is listed as the 13th warmest in Greece. The previous one, in 2023-2024, remains the warmest on record.

Inhabitants in Greece will have to brace for plunging temperatures from Tuesday, though, weather-watchers said.

"A cold air mass on Tuesday will give showers and snow all over the country," Giannopoulos said.

"In Athens, where today we have 27 degrees the maximum temperature will be 11 degrees. This is a rollercoaster," he added.

The abrupt change is particularly problematic for the agricultural sector.

In Greece's region of northern Macedonia -- which experienced 27 degrees on the weekend -- the expected frost is set to cause severe damage to fruit trees that are in full bloom.

Greece has become a climate-change hotspot. It had its hottest summer and warmest winter on record in 2024, according to data from the Meteo.gr network.

The year brought unprecedented temperatures, extreme rainfall and a notable frequency of impactful weather events.

Thirty-one significant weather incidents disrupted daily life in 2023, well above the 2000-2024 average, while nine weather-related deaths were registered.