Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, initially delayed due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, has declared its intention to host a distinctive edition from December 14 to 21.
Situated in a coastal resort near Hurghada, a tourist hub 250 miles south of Cairo, the festival will showcase its previously disclosed full array of films, featuring a dedicated program to Palestinian cinema in collaboration with the Palestine Film Institute.
A noteworthy aspect includes a planned fundraising dinner during the festival, aimed at collecting donations for humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza, coordinated with the Egyptian Red Crescent. The festival organizers emphasized that the event would be conducted without any celebratory elements.
The festival’s sixth edition is set to present a diverse selection of Arabic and international titles debuting in the Middle East, accompanied by promising projects from Arab countries, to be revealed to potential partners at the CineGouna industry segment.
In their letter to invited guests, festival co-founder Amr Mansi and chief Intishal Al Timimi highlighted the commitment to the industry by maintaining the scheduled film screenings and showcasing initiatives of the CineGouna Platform, a creative hub supporting Egyptian and Arab filmmakers.
Given the circumstances, the festival acknowledges that this edition will adopt a more subdued tone compared to previous years, driven by a spirit of perseverance and unwavering support for the local film industry.
Among the Arabic films vying for over $200,000 in cash prizes alongside international titles are Mohamed Kordofani’s debut “Goodbye Julia,” a timely morality tale set just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan; Ayten Amin’s comedic “The Shanabs,” revolving around a funeral in Alexandria; and Leïla Kilani’s “Birdland (Indivision),” set in El Mansouria near Tangier, combining family melodrama and social fable elements.
In a related development, the Cairo Film Festival announced in October the cancellation of its 45th edition, originally scheduled from November 15 to 24, due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
