Cairo Video Festival is back for the seventh year running and this year's event looks set to boost the Egypt's position as a hub for electronic media arts in the region.

The annual showcase of experimental art films kicked off at the capital's Zawya Cinema Thursday and will feature productions by 116 artists from 38 countries.

The festival is organized by the non-profit collective Medrar for Contemporary Art and this year's edition includes more than 20 Egyptian alongside international works.

International highlights from this year's event will include "The Scream" by Serbia's Marina Abramovic, Swiss production "War" by Vincent Borcard and "Three Love Songs" by Iraqi artist Adel Abdin.

The Festival will also feature works by leading Egyptian artists including Ahmed Ghoneimy, Ahmed Shawky, Emad Maher and Hadeer Omar.

Since it was started in 2005 by a collective of artists including Egyptian director Mohamed Allam, the event has evolved to become a platform for video artists, curators and the public as a whole.

Two ongoing exhibitions of films at the Medrar Art Space in Garden City and the Contemporary Image Collective in Cairo's Downtown will also run alongside the main productions.

Meanwhile the festival's closing night will also feature a round table discussion about video arts and experimental films at Medrar HQ.

Screenings will run until December 25 on alternate days at Zawya cinema in Downtown Cairo and the French Institute in Mounira.

For more information check out the event page or visit the festival's official homepage .