The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual event that acknowledges the best Middle Eastern actors, actresses, and films. In the 39th edition of the CIFF, a Lebanese short movie titled Cargo that is produced by the director Karim Rahbani won the Special Jury Award. The movie follows a young Syrian boy named Abed (played by Abed Al Hadi Assaf) who fled Damascus with his sick grandfather and found refuge in Lebanon. The movie has a sad ending because Rahbani wanted to raise awareness about this issue in the best way possible. According to
, Rahbani met Abed, the main actor of Cargo, in Gemmayzeh where the young boy sells flowers. The Lebanese director liked his character and decided to give him the role. The movie also won many awards such as the Best Short Movie Award in the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival and the Montecatini International Short Film Festival. Cargo will also take part in Interfilm Festival in Berlin.
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