The ceremony was attended by H.E. Dr. Walid Abdel-Azim El-Barqi, Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, Eng. Samih Sawiris, Founder of El Gouna and Chairman of El Gouna Film Festival Board of Directors, Amr Mansi, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the festival, Andrew Mohsen, Artistic Director of El Gouna Film Festival, Dr. Eskandar Tooma, Chairman of Orascom Development Egypt, Mohamed Amer, CEO of El Gouna and Managing Director of Orascom Development Egypt, Yousra, member of the festival’s International Advisory Board, and Intishal Al Timimi, Former Festival Director and member of the International Advisory Board.

The festival presented the Career Achievement award to Moroccan Actor and Film Director Faouzi Bensaidi in recognition of the body of his work. It was presented to him by Egyptian Director and member of the festival’s International Advisory Board, Yousri Nasrallah.

Commenting on this year’s film selection and the jury’s final choices, Andrew Mohsen, Artistic Director of the El Gouna Film Festival, said: "In curating this year’s program, our goal was to offer our audiences a rich spectrum of global storytelling that speaks directly to the human experience. While tonight we celebrate the award winners, every single film selected for this edition contributed to a remarkable line-up. We extend our deepest gratitude to all the participating filmmakers whose bold vision and dedication made this festival an extraordinary success."

FEATURE NARRATIVE COMPETITION (FNC)

Evaluating the competitive narrative line-up was an international jury chaired by acclaimed British auteur Joanna Hogg (Jury President), alongside Egyptian actress Nahed El Sebaie, Egyptian composer Khaled Hammad, Iraqi-Kurdish filmmaker Shawkat Amin Korki, and Turkish director Yeşim Ustaoğlu.

The winning films in this section are:

El Gouna Golden Star for Best Feature Narrative Film (Trophy & US $50,000)

SAFE EXIT | KHUROOJ AAMEN
Samaan is a young Christian security guard at a residential building in Cairo. He suffers from PTSD after witnessing his father's murder during childhood by a terrorist group in Libya.
Director: Mohammed Hammad
Producers: Kholoud Saad, Dora Bouchoucha, Dina Farouk, Ibrahim El-Batout, May Odeh
Countries: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Qatar, Germany

We were all struck, unanimously, by the sincerity of this heartfelt and consistently surprising story. It compellingly illustrates, without sentimentality and with restraint, how grief and trauma is passed down through generations.

El Gouna Silver Star for Feature Narrative Film (Trophy & US $25,000)

A BIT OF LIGHT | KAMI NOUR
Director: Ali Asgari | Producers: Milad Khosravi, Odessa Rae, Afshin Salamian, Lorenzo Cioffi, Giorgio Giampà, Sholeh Alemi Fabbri, Sara Nasrabadi, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Gabriele Moratti, Avantika Singh Desbouvries |  Iran, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Türkiye

We found ourselves caught in the terrible decision at the heart of the film, and were moved by the way the story so powerfully found light and humour in these darkest moments of life.

El Gouna Bronze Star for Feature Narrative Film (Trophy & US $15,000)

ALL THE LOVERS IN THE NIGHT | SUBETE MAYONAKA NO KOIBITOTACHI
Director: Yukiko Sode | Producers: Toshikazu Nishigaya, Kana Matsuda | Japan

"We were touched by this gently unfolding story that becomes a delicate exploration of loneliness and the need for human connection".

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Feature Narrative Film (Trophy & US $20,000)

YESTERDAY THE EYE DIDN'T SLEEP | AL-BARIH AL-AYN MA NAMAT
Director: Rakan Mayasi | Producers: Jennifer Ritter, Rakan Mayasi | Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia

"We were impressed by this powerful story portraying without judgement, and with poetry and invention, a situation of much drama and tension, that reflects a continued struggle for female emancipation".

El Gouna Star for Best Actress (Trophy)

BOOMAH
Director: Zaid Abu Hamdan | Producers: Gianluca Chakra, Sari Silawi, Ahmad Abu Koush | Jordan, Saudi Arabia

"Amongst the chaos of the surrounding story, the actress holds her nerve and keeps a laser-like focus, in a performance of great commitment and force".

El Gouna Star for Best Actor (Trophy)

3 WEEKS AFTER | 3 NEDELJE POSLE
Director: Miroslav Terzić | Actor: Jovan Ginić | Producer(s): Snežana van Houwelingen, Branislav Trifunović | Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg

"With immense control the actor keeps the fear and anxiety his character is feeling, just beneath the surface, conveying with subtlety a story that shocks and terrifies".

Special Jury Mention

HALIMA

Director & Producer: Yassine El Idrissi | Morocco
"A special mention to a film that carries us on an always unexpected and unpredictable journey, made deftly with such small means, and with a big heart".

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION (FDC)

The Feature Documentary Competition Jury comprised five celebrated cinema figures: Swiss-Iraqi director and producer Samir (Jury President); Afghan-Dutch director Aboozar Amini; Belgian producer Julie Frères; Swiss festival director Reta Guetg; and French-Lebanese editor Gladys Joujou.

The winning films in this section are:

El Gouna Golden Star for Best Feature Documentary (Trophy & US $30,000)
CITIZEN OSAMA | AL MOWATEN OSAMA
Director: Ahmed Hassouna | Producers: Laura Nikolov, Rashid Masharawi |  Palestine, France

"A first hand story of a filmmaker who films the genocide, urbicide and  and starvation of his country and his people in Gaza. This intimate portrait of Osama, one of the last journalists in Northern Gaza, is a film of rare courage and humanity".

El Gouna Silver Star for Feature Documentary (Trophy & US $15,000)

WHISPERS IN MAY | CHUN RI HUAN YOU

Director: Dongnan Chen | Producers: Jia Zhao, Kay Xu | Hong Kong, Netherlands, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Sweden

"A coming-of-age tale of friendship and struggle in remote China. Filmed at their eye level, three 14-year-olds wander through a beautifully captured mural landscape, trying to escape their realities and take matters into their own hands".

El Gouna Bronze Star for Feature Documentary (Trophy & US $7,500)

A WAR ON WOMEN
Director: Raha Shirazi | Producers: Marco Serrecchia, Marica Stocchi, Beatrice Bordone Bulgari, Gianluca Curti | Italy
"A vital urgent film, a cry from within, that exposes the oppression women face inn Iran from the moment they are born. Told with strength and dignity, it shows how women manage to exist in spite of those who seek to erase them. It captures an ongoing movement that is transforming society and the relationship between men and women".

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Feature Documentary (Trophy & US $10,000)

CITIZEN OSAMA | AL MOWATEN OSAMA
Director: Ahmed Hassouna | Producers: Laura Nikolov, Rashid Masharawi | Palestine, France
"A first hand story of a filmmaker who films the genocide, urbicide and starvation of his country and his people in Gaza. This intimate portrait of Osama, one of the last journalists in Northern Gaza, is a film of rare courage and humanity".

EL GOUNA GREEN STAR AWARD

Tasked with honouring the film that best addresses crucial environmental and sustainability issues, the El Gouna Green Star was evaluated by the combined Feature Documentary and Green Star Jury.

El Gouna Green Star Award (Trophy & US $10,000)
NUISANCE BEAR
Director: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman | Producers: Michael Code, Teddy Leifer, Will N. Miller  | United States, Canada, United Kingdom

"A carefully made film about an endangered species - the polar bears -  and their connections to indigenous people who try to find a way to defend Western-dominant traditions in between a western dominant culture and their own heritage".

SHORT FILMS COMPETITION (SFC)

The Short Films Competition Jury brought together a distinguished panel of international talent: Tunisian director Amel Guellaty; Saudi director, writer, and actor Meshal AlJaser; and Greek actor, director, and playwright Christos Passalis.

The winning films in this section are:

El Gouna Golden Star for Best Short Film (Trophy & US $15,000)

STOLEN MEMORIES | STJÅLNE MINNER
Director: Anders Davidsen | Producers: Jonas Bruun, Louise Beyer | Norway, Sweden

"A thought-provoking film that leaves us with questions rather than easy answers, refusing to reduce the complexities of human emotions to simplistic statements".

El Gouna Silver Star for Short Film (Trophy & US $7,500)

NOBODY KNOWS THE WORLD | ALLÁ EN EL CIELO
Director:  Roddy Dextre | Producer:  Javier Salvador | Peru, Colombia, Spain, Mexico

"A film that takes you on a remarkable journey through the streets of a city filled with violence, tenderness and beauty"

El Gouna Bronze Star for Short Film (Trophy & US $4,000)

MY VILLAGE BLAMED WOMEN FOR THE END OF MANKIND
Director: Jad Chahine | Producers: Yara Goubran |  Egypt, United Kingdom

"A film with a strong visual identity and a mesmerising atmosphere that transports us beyond time and space".

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film (Trophy & US $5,000)

SOMEDAY A CHILD | YAWMAN MA WALAD
Director: Marie-Rose Osta | Producers:  Marie-Rose Osta, Christian Azoury |  France, Romania, Lebanon

"A film that tackles an ongoing catastrophe with a compelling supernatural twist brought to life with an excellent cinematic vision".

El Gouna Star for (two) Special Mentions
KENTUCKY GAZA

Director: Ommar Rammal | Producers: Raya Aburub, Aseel Abu Ayyash, Yousef Abed Alnabi | Jordan
A film that transforms a real-life tragedy into a tender humourous and deeply human story.

CINEMA FOR HUMANITY AUDIENCE AWARD

Dedicated to celebrating films that exemplify humanitarian values, the Cinema for Humanity Award was chosen by festival audiences from across the Narrative and Documentary Competitions and the Official Selection - Out of Competition program. The winning title receives a trophy and a cash prize of US $20,000.

Cinema for Humanity Audience Award (Trophy & US $20,000)

AMERICAN DOCTOR
Director: Poh Si Teng | Producers: Poh Si Teng, Kirstine Barfod, Reem Haddad | United States, Palestine, Malaysia, Qatar, Denmark

FIPRESCI AWARD

Representing the International Federation of Film Critics, the FIPRESCI Jury comprised Elena Rubashevska (Sweden), Henda Haouala (Tunisia), and Haytham Mofed (Egypt).

FIPRESCI Prize for Best First/Second Feature
WHISPERS IN MAY | CHUN RI HUAN YOU

Director: Dongnan Chen | Producers: Jia Zhao, Kay Xu | Hong Kong, Netherlands, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Sweden

Through a sensitive look, this film captures the fragile transition from childhood to adulthood, between who a girl is and what the world expects her to be.

Filmed from the girls' point of view, the camera shows their world with deep gentle feelings and humanity. The film smoothly blends fiction and documentary, giving the story a true sense of authenticity.

NETPAC AWARD

The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema jury comprised Sidharth Srinivasan (Jury Chairperson, India), Maria Rita Di Santo (Italy/UK), and Kadum Saloom (Iraq).

NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film(s) - Ex æquo 

YESTERDAY THE EYE DIDN'T SLEEP | AL-BARIH AL-AYN MA NAMAT (First Feature Narrative)
Director: Rakan Mayasi | Countries: Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia

"For its compelling cinematic language, profound humanism and powerful portrayal of female agency finding release within a stiflingly patriarchal feudal environment".

THE CALF DOLL | KHAAL BACHDA (First Feature Non-narrative)
Director: Ankur Hooda | Producers: Ankur Hooda, Ayushi Gupta, Anish Sarai | India
for its evocative depiction of life on the margins of urbanisation and the granular transition and decline of an entire way of rural life.

The remarkable success of the 9th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival stands as a testament to the shared passion and commitment of the global film community. We express our deepest gratitude to our international juries for their dedication, critical rigour, and artistic insight. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our participating filmmakers, industry guests, and media partners whose presence energized every screening and panel across the festival grounds. Finally, we honour the extraordinary devotion of our festival team and volunteers, whose tireless efforts behind the scenes made this landmark edition a resounding success.

More than just an opportunity for artistic collaboration, El Gouna Film Festival is an example of the role the business community plays in the growth of the film, arts and culture sector. The 9th edition of the festival is in partnership with Orascom Development Egypt, Najan El Gouna, and our host El Gouna Red Sea; Al Nahar, the Official Broadcast Partner; BMW, Luxurious Automotive Partner; Aboughali Motors & London Cab, Official Transportation Partner; Pepsi, Official Beverage Partner;  Orange, Official Telecom Partner; Emirates NBD, Official Banking Partner; Nespresso, Exclusive Partner; L’Oreal Professional, Official Hair Professional Partner; Armani Beauty, Official Beauty Sponsor; Nile Products / D-Store, Official Fashion Partner; EgyptAir, Official Carrier; Thndr, Official Investment Partner; On the Run, Official Partner; Sawiris Foundation, Impact and Accessibility Partner; Limitless Naturals, Official Wellness Sponsor; Nestlé / Nescafé, Official Partner; Ticket Egypt, Official Ticketing Partner; ESLSCA, Official Educational Partner; Kenda, Official Furniture Partner; TLT, Official Hospitality Partner; Sound of Egypt, Official Audio Partner; Doritos, Official Food Partner; This is Egypt, Under the auspices of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Ministry of Culture; and Organized by ievents.