El Gouna, Egypt – October 18, 2026

The CineGouna Emerge Program, El Gouna Film Festival's flagship talent development program, announces its fourth-edition lineup. Alongside the return of its Meet the Experts sessions, the program introduces two new formats this year: hands-on workshops and one-to-one sessions with industry professionals. Together, they reflect the program's growing focus on talent and career development. Participants gain practical skills and individual guidance, as well as direct access to the people shaping film and television in the region and beyond.

The Meet the Experts series runs from October 17 to 22, during the ninth edition of El Gouna Film Festival. Around 150 emerging filmmakers and industry professionals from 16 nationalities and 20 governorates across Egypt are taking part in the CineGouna Emerge program.

Meet the Experts

Meet the Experts brings participants into conversation with filmmakers, actors, producers, critics and industry leaders. Speakers share their paths, their craft, and the realities of working in the industry today. This year's edition features nearly 20 sessions with more than two dozen speakers:

Ahmed Shawky, Mena Massoud, Ahmed Sabbour, Amir El Shenawy, Tibyan El Fateh, Yasir Faiza, Ahmed Negm El Din, Hadi Bakhite, Mohamed Hamed, Ahmed Raafat, Mostafa Fahmy, Muhammad Taymour, Sherine Farghal, Bendary, Akinola Davies Jr., Khaled Kammar, Abdelrahman Amin, Nada Aboul Kheir, Faiza Williams, Amir El Masry, Naqqash Khalid, Nicole Guillemet, Celine Roustan, Tarek El Ganainy, Heba Yousry and Mohamed Hefzy.

Sessions take place daily from October 17 to 21 at the Emerge HQ, and are open to Emerge participants exclusively.

“Meet the Experts has always been about opening doors that usually stay closed. This year we wanted participants to walk through them with something in hand: a skill, a contact, honest feedback on their work. It’s the difference between hearing about the industry and starting to work within it.”

Andrew Mohsen, Artistic Director, El Gouna Film Festival “The best conversations at a festival rarely happen on stage. They happen afterwards, when someone asks the question they’ve been carrying for years. Meet the Experts and the new one-to-one sessions create space for exactly those moments, between people who make films today and those who will make them tomorrow.”

Workshops

For the first time, CineGouna Emerge features dedicated workshops. They expand the program's focus beyond project development to the practical skills filmmakers need to build sustainable careers.

• Sustainable Filmmaking 101, hosted by Leverage Point Entertainment with the support of the British Council, led by producer Zsofia Bujaki.. This introduction for emerging producers, directors and crew covers sustainability across film and television, from development to wrap. It looks at the main sources of a production's environmental impact, the standards and tools in use today, and how funders, broadcasters and festivals are increasingly building sustainability into their requirements.

• Climate Storytelling On Screen, hosted by Leverage Point Entertainment with the support of the British Council, led by producer Zsofia Bujaki. The workshop explores how filmmakers can engage with climate realities on screen without preaching or losing their audience. It works across fiction, documentary and short film, drawing on international and regional examples. Participants also consider how a climate lens can open doors to funding, festivals and partnerships.

• Film Business Skills, hosted by Freshly Ground Stories with the support of the British Council, led by Izzy Abidi. Abidi is a business affairs executive, lawyer, coach and former Netflix and OSN executive. This three-day workshop draws on her module "The Business of Storytelling" and was created specifically for El Gouna 2026. It covers commercial strategy, financing, deal structures, contracts and partnerships, helping participants move projects from development to production and beyond.

• The Authentic Artist, hosted by 3alam Tany and led by actor, writer, and acting coach Amr Gamal, co-founder of 3alam Tany. This three-hour intensive invites rising actors to move past overthinking and the pressure to "perform." Through guided exercises in listening, impulse, and presence, the focus is on removing what gets in the way of truthful performance rather than adding technique.

One-to-One Sessions

Also new this year, participants can book individual sessions with industry professionals for tailored feedback on their projects and careers. Nine experts are confirmed so far, with more to be announced: Giusse Lalois, Ghislaine Choupas-Loobuyck, Mohamed Mashish, Hani Osama, Siza Zayed, Kareem Samy, Arianna Castoldi, Soleil Gharbieh and Martin Horyna.

The sessions include two producers from the Fédération des Jeunes Producteurs Indépendants (FJPI), whose participation is supported by the Institut français d'Égypte and the French Embassy in Egypt.

Amr Mansi, Executive Director, El Gouna Film Festival “A festival is only as strong as the industry it helps build. Through Meet the Experts, the workshops and the one-to-ones, CineGouna Emerge brings some of the most respected names in film together with the people who will carry the industry forward. That exchange is one of the most valuable things El Gouna can offer.”

Meet the Experts: Volume One and the Meet the Experts Podcast

The Meet the Experts sessions also live beyond the festival. Meet the Experts: Volume One was launched at the program's welcome reception on October 16. It gathers insights from the previous edition's sessions and places them in conversation with one another. Supported by the DROSOS Foundation and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, the book was written by Omnia Najm and designed by Nabeela Roshdy. It is available in a limited-edition print run during the festival and will be available online soon.

The Meet the Experts podcast launched on September 27, 2026, and draws on the same sessions. New episodes continue to be released through the festival and beyond.

About El Gouna Film Festival

One of the leading festivals in the MENA region, El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) showcases a wide variety of films from around the world, with a special focus on Arab cinema, for a passionate and knowledgeable audience. The festival fosters intercultural dialogue through the art of filmmaking, connecting regional filmmakers with their international counterparts. In addition to supporting the growth of the film industry in the region, GFF provides a platform for discovering new voices and talents while celebrating established ones.

About Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD)

Established in 2001 by the Sawiris family, SFSD is one of Egypt’s first philanthropic foundations. It supports innovative, inclusive, and sustainable development solutions, focusing on poverty reduction, unemployment, and access to quality education. The foundation also contributes significantly to Egypt’s cultural and artistic landscape. Over 24 years, SFSD has funded numerous programs in partnership with government, civil society, the private sector, and international organizations across 24 governorates, prioritizing underserved and remote communities.

European Union in Egypt

The European Union (EU) has been a key partner of Egypt for decades, working to strengthen political, economic, social, and cultural ties. Through its Delegation in Cairo, the EU supports sustainable development, inclusive growth, education, and innovation while promoting shared values such as peace and stability. The EU also invests in climate action, renewable energy, trade, and opportunities for young people, fostering closer cooperation between Egypt and Europe.

DROSOS FOUNDATION

Founded in 2003 in Switzerland, we are active in Egypt, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Switzerland and Tunisia. The DROSOS FOUNDATION is an independent private not for profit foundation dedicated to shaping positive futures – for and with young people. Their vision is a world where all young people have the opportunity to realise their full potential and collectively contribute to a more equitable, sustainable, peaceful, and just society. They support locally led initiatives fostering skills development, entrepreneurship, and the social and economic inclusion of young people and their communities – particularly those facing systemic barriers and situations of vulnerability.