NEW DELHI: As a mark of tribute to creative thought, the 12th Osian Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema has conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the Festival’s founder Aruna Vasudev, to renowned Egyptian critic Samir Farid who is also to give a lecture at the Festival.

Accepting the award as ‘a great honour from a great country’, Farid said he loved cinema and film criticism was an expression of this. He noted that Egypt had been facing bad times, and the arts were in danger in the hands of Islamic fanatics. But he said he would continue to fight for creative freedom as religion and art were two different things.

Born in Cairo, Egypt, Farid started his career as the film Critic of "Al-Gomhoreya" daily in Cairo in 1965. He has since emerged as one of the most prolific and significant film critics in the Arab world.

Since 1967, Farid has been invited to more than 170 film festivals and seminars in Africa, Asia, USA and Europe. He has been a member of the FIPRESCI since 1971 and International Jury Boards since 1972. Farid has authored over 60 books, contributing significantly to Arab and Egyptian Cinema.