El Gouna, October 23, 2026

EL GOUNA FILM FESTIVAL today announced the winners of the NETPAC and FIPRESCI awards at the CineGouna Funding Closing, celebrating exceptional Asian cinema and outstanding debut films within the festival's official selections, alongside the announcement of winning projects in development and films in post-production

NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Jury, which was presided over by Film Curator, Writer, and Joint President of NETPAC, Dr. Anne Démy-Geroe (Australia), alongside co-members Jean-Marc Thérouanne (CEO, Artistic Director, Vesoul IFF of Asian Cinema, France) and esteemed Film Director Hala Khalil (Egypt),

While presenting the awards, Dr. Anne Démy-Geroe, said “The jury made two awards from an exceptionally high standard of films - NETPAC Award for Best Asian Non-fiction Film and Netpac Award for Best Asian Fiction Film. ALWAYS, directed and lensed by Deming Chen, was awarded NETPAC Award for Best Asian Non-fiction Film.

The award was received on behalf of team ALWAYS by its Producer Hansen Lin.

“ShadowBox is a debut directorial effort by Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi. Das also edited while Sahi scripted and filmed.”

The award was received on behalf of team SHADOWBOX by one of its Directors Saumyananda Sahi.

FIPRESCI AWARD

The FIPRESCI Jury, representing the International Federation of Film Critics, selected the best first or second film from the Feature Narrative and Feature Documentary competition and the Official Selection- Out of Competition sections combined, from Asia, Africa or Latin America. The jury comprised Omnia Adel (Film Critic, Programmer, Egypt), Pamela Cohn (Freelance Curator, Writer, Consultant, Germany), and acclaimed Film Critic and Writer G P Ramachandran (India).

The FIPRESCI Prize was presented to ALWAYS

While announcing the winner this evening, The jurors stated: “Our jury was unanimous in its decision to give this brilliant cinematic work the International Federation of Film Critics' prize. It's thrilling to discover such an exciting talent, a filmmaker who uses his young protagonist's poetic voice and sensibility within which to structure a story that felt like a prayer, an offering to the future. Like a finely distilled perfume, moment by moment, the story unveils itself through the director's intimate and loving lens: with devotion, with fortitude, with commitment, and most of all, through sheer audiovisual beauty. This film spoke to us in a multitude of cinematic languages, orchestrating and displaying an ever-expansive palette of craft and storytelling mastery, an epic journey writ small, but one that will continue to loom large in our memories. We gladly give the FIPRESCI prize to Deming Chen’s ALWAYS”

GFF congratulates all filmmakers who participated in the competitions and looks forward to seeing these exceptional cinematic voices continue to resonate globally.

NETPAC AWARD (Best Asian Documentary)

ALWAYS

United States, France, China, Taiwan

Director: Deming Chen | Producer: Hansen Lin

NETPAC AWARD (Best Asian Narrative)

SHADOWBOX | BAKSHO BONDI

India, France, United States, Spain

Directors: Tanushree Das, Saumyananda Sahi | Producers: Naren Chandavarkar, Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Saumyananda Sahi, Tillotama Shome, Dheer Momaya, Sidharth Meer, Dominique Welinski, Isabelle Glachant, Prashant Nair, Anjali Patil, Anu Rangachar, Ishaan Chandhok, Shruti Ganguly

FIPRESCI AWARD

ALWAYS

United States, France, China, Taiwan

Director: Deming Chen | Producer: Hansen Lin

About El Gouna Film Festival

One of the leading festivals in the MENA region, GFF aims to showcase a wide variety of films for a passionate and knowledgeable audience, while fostering better communication between cultures through the art of filmmaking. Its goal is to connect filmmakers from the region with their international counterparts in the spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange. The festival is committed to the discovery of new voices and strives to be a catalyst for the development of cinema in the Arab world.