PRESS RELEASE — STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
School of Travel Journalism Student Selected at the River Film Festival 2026 in Padua
We are proud to announce that Kenzy Samir, a student of the Master’s in Travel Journalism in English, February 2025 intake, has been officially selected to screen her Master’s thesis film at the 20th River Film Festival (RiFF), held in Padua, Italy, from May 24 to June 20, 2026.
Her documentary, Beyond the Pyramids (Egypt, 2025, 16 min.), will be screened as part of the festival’s Documentaries programme on Saturday, June 13, on the iconic floating screen set on the waters of the Piovego river, at the historic 16th-century fluvial port of Porta Portello — one of the most atmospheric open-air cinema settings in Europe.
The River Film Festival projects hundreds of cinematographic works from around the world each year, viewed and voted on by a qualified jury and audience. Now in its twentieth edition — a milestone marked this year by the introduction of feature films in competition — RiFF counts among its official partners prestigious international events including the Berlin Film Festival, and is supported by institutions such as the European Parliament, universities, embassies, institutes of culture, film schools and associations worldwide. The festival is guided by the values of creativity, freedom, dialogue, inclusiveness and internationalism.
The selection of Beyond the Pyramids among the official competition programme is a remarkable achievement, reflecting both Kenzy’s talent and the quality of the filmmaking education at the School of Travel Journalism. The film competes in the Best Short Film “Documentaries” category, with winners awarded the Golden River — a Murano glass sculpture handcrafted by Venetian artists.
We congratulate Kenzy on this outstanding accomplishment and wish her the very best at the festival.
📍 River Film Festival 2026 — Porta Portello, Padua, Italy 🗓 Documentaries Screening: Saturday, June 13, 2026 🎬 Beyond the Pyramids — Kenzy Tarek Samir / Egypt, 2025 / 16 min. ▶️ Watch the film 🔗 riverfilmfestival.org
