CineGouna Funding, the platform of El Gouna Film Festival’s project development and co-production platform, announced the full list of winners of the program’s 8th edition, with total awards exceeding $300,000, in the form of financial and service support awards provided by El Gouna Film Festival and its prestigious sponsors.

CineGouna Funding jury, consisting of Spanish Producer Isona Passola, Egyptian writer, director and producer Ahmed Amer, and Moroccan producer Lamia Chraibi, and after consulting with the sponsoring companies, distributed 29 valuable awards to 17 out of 19 that competed in the program this year.

Amr Mansi, co-founder and CEO of El Gouna Film Festival, expressed his happiness with the great diversity of awards, saying: “Throughout the year, we proudly observed the repeated successes achieved by CineGouna alumni films. This success is reflected in the interest of filmmakers and sponsors in the platform, which has become a major hub for the Arab film industry.”

Ahmed Shawky, Head of CineGouna Funding, spoke about the eighth edition, saying: “During this edition, the filmmakers of the 19 participating projects held 114 individual meetings with companies, institutions and international festivals participating in the festival. They benefited from a training program designed according to the needs of each project, which makes everyone a beneficiary, whether they win one of the platform’s prizes or not.”

Here is the full list of CineGouna Funding Awards 2025:

Cinegouna Platform Award $15,000 in cash for a project in development: The Salt of the South I Tunisia, France, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar I Director: Rami Jarboui I Producer: Ramzi Laâmouri

Cinegouna Platform Award $15,000 in cash for a project in post-production: The North Wind I Lebanon I Director: Eliane Raheb I Producer: Cynthia Choucair

$10,000 cash grant from Film Square: I am Afraid to Meet You Someday I Egypt I Director: Khaled Mansour I Producer: Rasha Hosny

$10,000 cash grant from Abou Ghaly Motors: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga I Egypt, Saudi Arabia I Director: Amir El-Shenawy I Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam

$10,000 cash grant from Arab Radio & Television (ART): Your Turn, 203 I Lebanon, France I Director: Cynthia Sawma I Producer: Georges Schoucair & Matthew Gledhill

$10,000 cash grant from Blue Bee Productions: Besso I Iraq, Denmark I Director: Muslim Habeeb I Producer: Muna Al-Kadhimi & Tamara Amer

$10,000 cash grant from Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and Drosos Foundation: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga I Egypt, Saudi Arabia I Director: Amir El-Shenawy I Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam

$8,000 cash grant from Big Bang Studios: Blue Card I Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia I Director: Mohammed Alomda I Producer: Amjad Abu Alala

$5,000 cash grant from Red Sea Foundation: Your Turn, 203 I Lebanon, France I Director: Cynthia Sawma I Producer: Georges Schoucair & Matthew Gledhill

$5,000 cash grant from Red Sea Foundation: Pipes I Lebanon I Director: Karim Kassem I Producer: Karim Kassem

$5,000 cash grant from New Century Production: Occupational Hazards I Jordan, UK, Saudi Arabia I Director: Bassel Ghandour I Producer: Rula Nasser

$5,000 cash grant from Rise Studios: Your Turn, 203 I Lebanon, France I Director: Cynthia Sawma I Producer: Georges Schoucair & Matthew Gledhill

$5,000 cash grant from Sard: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga I Egypt, Saudi Arabia I Director: Amir El-Shenawy I Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam

$5,000 worth of Script Development Services from Sard: Asaa I France I Director: Valentin Noujaïm I Producer: Manon Messiant

$50,000 as MG for sales and distribution from MAD Solutions: Asaa I France I Director: Valentin Noujaïm I Producer: Manon Messiant

$13,000 worth of post-production services from Bee Media Productions: Halima I Morocco I Director: Yassine El Idrissi I Producer: Yassine El Idrissi

$13,000 worth of post-production services from Bee Media Productions: Four Tales of Love I Egypt I Director: Maged Atta I Producer: Omnia Swedan

$12,000 worth of full DCP Package services from Shift Studios: Animals I Egypt I Director: Morad Mostafa I Producer: Sawsan Yusuf

$12,000 worth of full promotion package services from Shift Studios: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga I Egypt, Saudi Arabia I Director: Amir El-Shenawy I Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam

$6,000 worth of post-production services from Big Bang Studios: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga I Egypt, Saudi Arabia I Director: Amir El-Shenawy I Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam

$6,000 worth of post-production services from Big Bang Studios: Four Tales of Love I Egypt I Director: Maged Atta I Producer: Omnia Swedan

$5,000 worth of sound services from The Sound of Egypt: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga I Egypt, Saudi Arabia I Director: Amir El-Shenawy I Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam

$5,000 worth of sound services from The Sound of Egypt: Four Tales of Love I Egypt I Director: Maged Atta I Producer: Omnia Swedan

An Invitation to an Arab producer to attend Rotterdam Film Lab from Arab Cinema Center: Gezira, On the Line I Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan I Director: Rana Matar I Producer: Lama Jamjoom

An Online Invitation to TFL NEXT from Torino Film Lab & IEFTA: Holy Cow I Morocco I Director: Asmae El Moudir I Producer: Asmae El Moudir

An invitation to a French film festival from French Embassy and French Institute: Animals I Egypt I Director: Morad Mostafa I Producer: Sawsan Yusuf

An invitation to MediMed lab 2025 from MediMed: Concrete Land I Jordan, Palestine I Director: Asmahan Bkerat I Producer: Ban Maraqa

Invitation to Durban Film Mart: Holy Cow I Morocco I Director: Asmae El Moudir I Producer: Asmae El Moudir

1. One-Year Free Membership to Documentary Association of Europe (DEA): Disappeared I France, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq I Director: Anas Zawahri I Producer: Ahmad Alhaj