El Gouna Film Festival
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| Location | El Gouna, Egypt |
|---|---|
| Founded | 22 September 2017 |
| Founded by | Naguib Sawiris, Samih Sawiris, Amr Mansi, Bushra Abdallah Rozza, Kamal Zadeh |
| Artistic director | Andrew Mohsen |
| Language | Egyptian Arabic English |
| Website | elgounafilmfestival |
The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF; Egyptian Arabic: مهرجان الجونة السينمائي) is an annual film festival held in the Red Sea resort city of El Gouna in Egypt each October. Founded in 2017, the event hosts a number of awards. The festival also runs CineGouna, a brand that provides support to Egyptian and Arab filmmakers.
History
[edit]The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) was co-founded in 2017 by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris, whose brother Samih built the resort,[1] Amr Mansi,[2] Bushra Abdallah Rozza, and Kamal Zadeh.[3]
Its inaugural event started on 22 September.[4][5] The inaugural artistic director was Intishal Al Timimi, who had previously overseen Arab films at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival until its demise in 2015.[1] The psychological thriller Scary Mother, by Georgian first-time director Ana Urushadze, took the Golden Star, the festival's top feature film competition prize, in 2017.[6][7][8][9] Oscar-winning actor-director Forest Whitaker was feted with a lifetime achievement award.[10]
The fifth iteration of the event was held from 14 October 2021.[4][11]
The festival was cancelled in 2022, after being scheduled to run from 13 to 22 October that year, although its future was not clear.[1] In 2023, Marianne Khoury took over from took over from Amir Ramses as artistic director, but the festival was postponed until December, owing to the Gaza war, and a full festival lineup returned in 2024.[12][1]
Description
[edit]The festival is hosted by the El Gouna Convention and Culture Centre, and focuses on storytelling trends, as well as emerging talents from Egypt and the rest of the world,[13] and increased tourism at the resort.[14]
As of 2026[update], Amr Mansi is executive director, and Andrew Mohsen is artistic director.[3]
CineGouna
[edit]CineGouna is a festival brand that covers a number of programs designed to support and empower Egyptian and Arab filmmakers, both artistically and financially. As of 2026[update] there it runs CineGouna Funding, CineGouna Forum, CineGouna Market, CineGouna Emerge, and CineGouna Shorts.[15]
Awards
[edit]The following awards are awarded at the festival:[citation needed]
Feature Narrative Competition
[edit]- El Gouna Gold Star for a Narrative Film (Trophy, Certificate and USD 50,000)
- El Gouna Silver Star for Narrative Film (Trophy, Certificate and USD 25,000)
- El Gouna Bronze Star Narrative Film (Certificate, Trophy and USD 15,000)
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Narrative Film (Trophy, Certificate and USD 20,000)
- El Gouna Star for Best Actor (Trophy and Certificate)
- El Gouna Star for Best Actress (Trophy and Certificate)
Feature Documentary Competition
[edit]- El Gouna Gold Star for a Documentary Film (Trophy, Certificate and USD 30,000)
- El Gouna Silver Star for Documentary Film (Trophy, Certificate and USD 15,000)
- El Gouna Bronze Star Documentary Film (Trophy, Certificate and USD 7,500)
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film (Trophy, Certificate and USD 10,000)
Others
[edit]The Arab Critics Awards for European Films is awarded by Arab Cinema Center at El Gouna.[16]
Past award winners
[edit]2017
[edit]Feature Narrative competition
[edit]- Golden Star: Scary Mother, Ana Urushadze
- Silver Star: The Insult, Ziad Dower
- Bronze Star: Arrhythmia, Boris Khlebnikov
- Golden Star for Best Arabic Feature Film: Photocopy, Tamer Ashry
- Best Actress: Nadia Kounda, Volubilis
- Best Actor: Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Zama[6]
- Cinema For Humanity Audience Award: Soufra, Thomas Morgan
Documentary competition
[edit]- Golden Star: I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck
- Silver Star: Brimstone and Glory, Viktor Jakovleski
- Bronze Star: Mrs Fang, Wang Bing
- Golden Star For Best Arabic Documentary: I Have a Picture, Mohamed Zedan[17]
Short Film competition
[edit]- Golden Star: Nightshade, Shady El-Hamus
- Silver Star: Merry-Go-Round, Ruslan Bratov
- Bronze Star: Mama Bobo, Robin Andelfinger and Ibrahima Seydi
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film: Punchline, Christophe M. Saber[18]
2018
[edit]Feature Narrative competition
[edit]- Golden Star:A Land Imagined, Yeo Siew Hua
- Silver Star:Ray & Liz, Richard Billingham
- Bronze Star:The Heiresses, Marcelo Martinessi
- El Gouna Star for Best Arabic Narrative Film:Yomeddine, A.B. Shawky
- Special Mention:The Man Who Surprised Everyone, Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov
- Best Actress:Joanna Kulig, Cold War
- Best Actor:Mohamed Dhrif, Dear Son
- Cinema for Humanity Audience Award:Another Day Of Life; Raúl De La Fuente, Damian Nenow and Yomeddine, A.B. Shawky (joint winners)
Feature Documentary competition
[edit]- Golden Star:Aquarela, Victor Kossakovsky
- Silver Star:Of Fathers and Sons, Talal Derki
- Bronze Star:The Swing, Cyril Aris
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film:Of Fathers and Sons, Talal Derki
Short Film competition
[edit]- Golden Star:Our Song To War, Juanita Onzaga
- Silver Star:Judgement, Raymund Ribay Gutierrez
- Bronze Star:Sheikh's Watermelons, Kaouther Ben Hania
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film:EyeBrows, Tamer Ashry[19]
2019 Winners
[edit]Feature Narrative competition
[edit]- Golden Star:You Will Die at Twenty, Amjad Abu Alala
- Silver Star:Corpus Christi, Jan Komasa
- Bronze Star:Adam, Maryam Touzani
- El Gouna Star for Best Arabic Narrative Film:Papicha, Mounia Meddour
- Best Actress:Hend Sabry, Noura's Dream
- Best Actor:Bartosz Bielenia, Corpus Christi
- Cinema for Humanity Audience Award:Les Misérables, Ladj Ly
- FIPRESCI Award:1982, Oualid Mouaness
Feature Documentary competition
[edit]- Golden Star:Talking About Trees, Suhaib Gasmelbari
- Silver Star:143 Sahara Street, Hassen Ferhani
- Bronze Star:Kabul, City in the Wind, Aboozar Amini
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film:Ibrahim: A Fate to Define, Lina Alabed
- NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film:Kabul, City in the Wind, Aboozar Amini
Short Film competition
[edit]- Golden Star:Exam, Sonia K. Haddad
- Silver Star:Ome, Wassim Geagea
- Bronze Star:Flesh, Camila Kater
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film:Give Up the Ghost, Zain Duraie
- Special Jury Mention:16 December, Álvaro Gago Díaz[20]
2021
[edit]Feature Narrative competition
[edit]- Golden Star:The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, Teemu Nikki
- Silver Star:Sun Down, Michel Franco
- Bronze Star:Captain Volkongov Escaped, Aleksey Chupov, Natasha Merkulova
- El Gouna Star for Best Arabic Narrative Film:Feathers, Omar El Zohairy
- Best Actress:Petri Poikolainen, Playground
- Best Actor:Perri Poikonainen, The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic
- Cinema for Humanity Audience Award:Ostrove: Lost Island, Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop
- FIPRESCI Award:Costa Brava, Mounia Akl
Feature Documentary competition
[edit]- Golden Star:Life of Ivana, Renato Borrayo Serrano
- Silver Star:Ostrov - Lost Island, Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop
- Bronze Star:Sabaya, Hogir Hirori
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film:Captains of Za'atari, Ali El Arabi
- NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film:Captain Volkongov Escaped, Aleksey Chupov, Natasha Merkulova
Short Film competition
[edit]- Golden Star:Katia, Andrey Natotcinskiy
- Silver Star:Holy Son, Aliosha Massine
- Bronze Star:On Solid Ground, Jela Hasler
- El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film:Cai-Ber, Ahmed Abdelsalam
- Special Mention: actress Aisha Al Rifae for Nour Shams directed by Faiza Ambah[21]
2024
[edit]Side events
[edit]Pitching Session: CinemaTech by Gemini Africa[22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
Gemini Africa is an Egyptian company extending into Africa and the Middle East for tech startups in an entrepreneurial pitching event under CinemaTech's track.[29] CinemaTech is the first entrepreneurial track bridging the gap between entrepreneurship and filmmaking, with the aim of uplifting the industry by injecting technological solutions offered by startups.[30][31]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Vivarelli, Nick (20 June 2022). "Egypt's El Gouna Festival Postponed in Possible Precursor to Permanent Axing". Variety. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (28 November 2023). "Egypt's El Gouna Film Festival Set to Hold Special Edition Dec. 14-21 Following Postponement". Variety. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- 1 2 "About Us – El Gouna Film Festival". El Gouna Film Festival. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- 1 2 "5th El-Gouna Film Festival kicks off on October 14". EgyptToday. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ↑ "El Gouna Film Festival Facts and News Updates". newsR. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- 1 2 Vivarelli, Nick (29 September 2017). "'Scary Mother' Takes Top Nod at Egypt's Inaugural El Gouna Fest". Variety.comy. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ "El Gouna Film Festival kicks off its first edition in Egypt". English.alarabiya.net. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ↑ "Egyptian movie 'Photocopy' wins best Arabic Feature at Gouna Film Festival". Egypt Independent. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ↑ "El Gouna Film Profile – 'Scary Mother' (Sashishi Deda)". EgyptToday. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (13 September 2017). "Forest Whitaker to Be Feted by Egypt's New El Gouna Film Festival; Lineup Announced (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ↑ "Highlights from the upcoming Gouna Film Festival's 5th edition - Film - Arts & Culture". Ahram Online. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ↑ Ross, Rafa Sales (18 October 2024). "El Gouna Artistic Director Marianne Khoury on Festival's Full Return: 'If I Am Convinced Something Needs to Happen, It Will Happen'". Variety. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "El Gouna Film Festival". ArabicPod101. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ↑ "Feature: Egypt's El Gouna Film Festival revives tourism in famed Red Sea resort - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ↑ "CineGouna". El Gouna Film Festival. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "The Arab Critics Awards for European Films". Arab Cinema Center. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ "El-Gouna Film Festival reveals its awards - Daily News Egypt". DAilynewsegypt.com. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ↑ "The First Edition of El Gouna Film Festival Concludes with Huge Aspirations For MENA and Worldwide Cinema". El Gouna Film Festival. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ↑ "El Gouna international film festival wraps". Euro News. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ↑ "3rd El Gouna Film Festivals announces the winners". Ahram Online. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ↑ "5th El Gouna Film Festival awards: 'The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic' wins Golden Star". Ahram Online. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ↑ "CINEGOUNA BRIDGE PROGRAM". elgouna film festival.
- ↑ "GEMINI CINEMATECH TRACK". geminiafrica.com.
- ↑ "أمينة خليل وصبا مبارك فى جلسة عرض المشاريع سينما تيك بالجونة.. صور". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). اليوم السابع. اليوم السابع. 15 October 2021.
- ↑ "صور- مهرجان الجونة .. أمينة خليل تختار الفائز بجائزة أفضل مشروع فى سينماتيك". www.mobtada.com (in Arabic). mobtada. 15 October 2021.
- ↑ akhbarelyom, Developed By team (16 October 2021). "الحلول التكنولوجية ودورها الفعال في تسهيل صناعة السينما بـ«جسر الجونة»| صور". بوابة اخبار اليوم. akhbarelyom.
- ↑ "مسابقة سينماتك تعلن أسماء الفائزين في مهرجان الجونة السينمائي - بوابة الشروق". www.shorouknews.com (in Arabic). shorouknews.
- ↑ "مهرجان الجونة السينمائي.. تعرف على الفائزين في مسابقة سينماتك". www.albawabhnews.com. albawabhnews. 15 October 2021.
- ↑ "Inside Gemini Africa's Radical CinemaTech Track". Startupscene. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- ↑ "Linking Entrepreneurship With Cinema — Meet Adly Thoma | 925 | The first online magazine of its kind in Egypt". 925. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- ↑ "The birth of CinemaTech in Egypt". Business Forward AUC. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
External links
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