El Gouna, Egypt – October 14, 2026

El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) is proud to announce the participants selected to take part in this year’s CineGouna Emerge program, the talent incubator initiative dedicated to empowering young and emerging filmmakers and creatives. The program is supported by GFF’s Impact Partner, Sawiris Foundation, the European Union in Egypt, and DROSOS FOUNDATION.

Now in its fourth year, the CineGouna Emerge program has become one of the most important initiatives, giving up-and-coming filmmakers and film talent, both in front of and behind the camera, a community to support them as they navigate the film industry. It offers full accreditation to the festival and a variety of activities, including access to the CineGouna Forum, CineGouna Market, and film screenings, tailored workshops, and networking opportunities. This year, around 1,000 applicants were vying for a spot in one of the CineGouna Emerge program’s tracks, which include the SeeMee Track, the Perspectives Track, and the Take Two Track. Since part of its mandate is to cultivate talent from the Arab world and Africa, this year a total of 155 participants have been selected from 16 countries and 20 governorates in Egypt.

“We don't see Emerge as something the festival gives to young filmmakers. It's what they give to the festival," says Amr Mansi, El Gouna Film Festival Co-Founder and Executive Director. "They bring the energy, the curiosity and the sense of possibility that make GFF feel alive every year. Our job is to build the tracks that let them meet each other and the industry on equal footing.”

Selected Participants

Emerge:

Abdelrahman Barakat (Egypt), Abdelrahman Melak (Egypt), Ach Brari (Tunisia), Achraf El Afia (Morocco), Adam El Nabli (Egypt), Adham El Khodary (Egypt), Adham Sharkawy (Egypt), Aghogho Onobrakpeya (Nigeria), Ahmed Medhat (Egypt), Ahmed Osama (Egypt), Ahmed Reggad (Algeria), Ahmed Saber (Egypt), Ahmed Sayed (Egypt), Ali Al Mahrooq (Iraq), Ali Hamouch (Lebanon), Alia Ibrahim (Egypt), Aly Al Din Tarek (Egypt), Amal Daoud (Jordan), Ammar Yasser (Egypt), Andraws Efat (Egypt), Ashrakat Waleed (Egypt), Aya Aly (Egypt), Basant Kassas (Egypt), Beshoy Kaldas (Egypt), Dorra Sfar (Tunisia), Ebram Tawfik (Egypt), Eman Thabet (Egypt), Engy Ashraf (Egypt), Eslam Hiddaya (Egypt), Esraa El Kherwily (Egypt), Ezel Manay (Syria), Ezz Elawady (Egypt), Farida Ezzat (Egypt), Farida Mohamed (Egypt), Fatma Fahmy (Egypt), Feryal Ahmed (Egypt), Habiba Mohamed (Egypt), Habiba Tamer (Egypt), Hadi Bakhit (Sudan), Hajar Omar (Egypt), Hamada El Azhary Ali (Egypt), Hazim Husayn (Libya), Hossam Helali (Sudan), Hossam Khalil (Egypt), Hossam Mohamed (Egypt), Hussein Eddeb (Libya), Ibrahem Rabie (Egypt), Ibrahim Ramy (Egypt), Islem Benselem (Tunisia), Jana Badawy (Egypt), Jana Demerdash (Egypt), Jennifer Peterson (Egypt), Jumana Nasser (Egypt), Karim Ali (Egypt), Khaled Nabil (Egypt), Kizito Samuel Saviour (Uganda), Lamees El-Shamy (Egypt), Lamia Bengelloun (Morocco), Liza Kamal Attia (Egypt), Lubna El Mansy (Egypt), Maram Assem (Egypt), Mariam Ayad (Egypt), Maryem Abu Bakr (Egypt), Meriame Essadak (Morocco), Michèle Meaiki (Lebanon), Mohamed Ali Jannedi (Tunisia), Mohamed Ashraf ElNahas (Egypt), Mohamed Assy (Egypt), Mohamed Beder (Egypt), Mohamed Hassan (Egypt), Mohamed Khattab (Libya), Mohamed Mokhtar (Egypt), Mohamed Osama (Egypt), Mohamed Tawfik (Egypt), Mohammed Almahdi (Yemen), Mostafa Ahmed (Egypt), Muhamed Asaad (Egypt), Nardin Amged (Egypt), Nour Alkheder (Syria), Nouran Elsaeid (Egypt), Nourhan Samy (Egypt), Nurhan Sheta (Egypt), Ojocheyi Okoaye (Nigeria), Omar Dakrony (Egypt), Omar Sarsour (Palestinian Territories), Omnia Najem (Egypt), Peter Atef (Egypt), Peter Mehanni (Egypt), Rahma Sherif (Egypt), Raneem Selim (Egypt), Rogaina Kamal (Egypt), Rose Ashraf (Egypt), Saber Wasel (Yemen), Saif Eldin Alaa (Egypt), Salwa Al Shawadfii (Egypt), Seif Konsowa (Egypt), Slim Abroug (Tunisia), Suleman Salim (Oman), Yasseen Ashri (Egypt), Youssef Hamdy (Egypt), Youssef Sherif Aly (Egypt), Youssef Tarek (Egypt), Zeina Zacca (Egypt), Zeyad Elmeligy (Egypt)

SeeMe Track:

Amro Alhorani (Jordan), Aymen Tighiouart (Algeria), Eya Bellagha (Tunisia), Fatimah Al-Shahban (Iraq), Ganna Osama (Egypt), Hamda El Shabrway (Egypt), Hussein Shabana (Egypt), Mariam Karam El Din (Egypt), Mohamed Abacay (Egypt), Mohamed Abdullah (Egypt), Mohamed Farouk (Egypt), Nada Fawzi (Egypt), Saad Samir (Egypt)

Perspectives Track:

Dina Nasseem (Egypt), Farida Aboutaleb (Egypt), Mariam Shoukry (Egypt), Mohamed Hassan (Egypt), Mohamed Sameh (Egypt), Mohamed Wafik (Egypt), Nada Selim (Egypt), Nadeen Abdelatty (Egypt), Rabia Elmererbi (Algeria), Rita Neama (Egypt), Rowan Fouad (Egypt), Sandy Samy (Egypt), Sella Yakout (Egypt), Shahd Salaheldin (Egypt), Shehab Moutaz (Egypt), Shoroq Elfaki (Sudan), Sohib Essam (Egypt), Tasneem Osama (Egypt), Zeina Agawani (Egypt), Zeina Elshehaby (Egypt)

Take Two:

Ahmed Hussien (Egypt), Ali El Sardy (Egypt), Fady Boles (Egypt), George Adel (Egypt), Kerolos Medhat (Egypt), Rawan ElGhonimi (Egypt), Shaima Attieh (Egypt), Shehab Betelmal (Egypt), Tibyan El Fateh (Sudan), Yazan Eid (Jordan)

"The tracks of CineGouna Emerge are designed as one journey rather than separate activities: time with industry leaders, candid conversations with experts about what they learned the hard way, and above all, the chance to find the peers you will be making films with for years to come. That community is what we want to keep growing with every edition," says Andrew Mohsen, Artistic Director of El Gouna Film Festival

Laila Hosni, Executive Director of Sawiris Foundation, said: “We are proud that Sawiris Foundation has become the largest supporter of CineGouna Emerge, and to see how the program has evolved, bringing together emerging talents from different governorates and countries. For us, the value of this support lies in creating meaningful opportunities for young filmmakers to learn, connect with industry professionals, and build relationships that help advance their projects and careers. Most importantly, we want the impact of these opportunities to extend well beyond the festival.”

Among the most popular initiatives developed by CineGouna Emerge is the “Meet the Experts” series, which allows participants to learn directly from established professionals working across disciplines in the industry, including directors, producers, VFX, composers, actors and more.

"For me, the real test of Emerge is what happens after El Gouna," says Hayat Aljowaily, Head of CineGouna Emerge. "We design every edition by asking what a participant will be able to do in six months that they could not do before, whether that is a project that moves forward, a collaborator they found here, or simply the confidence that they belong in this industry. Everything in the program, from mentorship to the time they spend learning from each other, is built to serve that. The people in Emerge are the ones who will be writing the record for cinema in Egypt, the Arab world, and Africa. Our role is to make sure they have what they need to do it: access, mentorship, and each other."