Actress Tara Emad poses for photos on the red carpet at the Cairo International Film Festival in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 2, 2020. The 42nd edition of Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) kicked off on Wednesday evening with a grand red carpet ceremony at Egypt's Cairo Opera House. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 42nd edition of Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) kicked off on Wednesday evening with a grand red carpet ceremony at Egypt's Cairo Opera House.

Mohamed Hefzy, the festival's president, said that holding the film festival amid the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the cinema industry worldwide was a challenge.

"We managed to make it a safe venue for hosting guests from Egypt and all over the world and maintain the proper anti-coronavirus precautionary measures," Hefzy told Xinhua, adding that the festival reduced the number of films participating this year from over 150 to around 85.

"CIFF is an integral part of Egypt's entity and I do appreciate the efforts of the organizers who managed to hold it amid such difficult circumstances," Egyptian actress Jory Bakr said.

Film critic Tarek el-Shinnawy, member of the festival's higher advisory committee, said that holding the festival "presents a shining image of Egypt to the whole world."

The 42nd CIFF was inaugurated by Egyptian Minister of Culture Inas Abdel-Dayem.