ACCREDITATION FOR THE 7TH EDITION IS NOW OPEN
Cairo, September 11th, 2024
The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) is thrilled to announce the first two Egyptian films selected to participate in the 7th edition of the festival: The Brink of Dreams by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir, which will be part of the Documentary Feature Competition, and The Inevitable Journey to Find a Wedding Dress by Jaylan Auf, which will compete in the Narrative Feature Competition.
The Brink of Dreams, whose makers are alumni of CineGouna Funding (formerly CineGouna Springboard) at the 6th edition of GFF won the Golden Eye Documentary Prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, thus becoming the first Egyptian movie to receive this prestigious award. The film tells the story of a group of girls in a small village in Upper Egypt who form a theater troupe that roams the streets in defiance of the traditions of their conservative environment.
Nada Riyadh, the film’s director, said, “After the world premiere of the film at the Cannes Film Festival, and amidst an ongoing journey to showcase the film at various international festivals, we are filled with joy and pride that the MENA premiere of our film will take place at the El Gouna Film Festival. GFF has embraced our movie since it was a project in the post-production stage as part of the CineGouna Funding last year.”
Ayman El Amir, the co-director, added, “We are excited to present our film, which stems from the heart of Upper Egypt and showcases heroines who have enchanted festival audiences everywhere. We view the El Gouna Film Festival as an important initial step before our film's wider release in movie theaters throughout Egypt soon.”
As for the feature narrative film, The Inevitable Journey to Find a Wedding Dress, it tells the story of a bride named Warda who searches for a white dress on her wedding eve, which leads her to rediscover the metropolis and her relationship with it.
"True to its name, this film has been a rollercoaster journey for its characters to find a wedding dress and for us, its filmmakers, to make it and see its magic unfolding on the screen. It is our pleasure that the film gets its world premiere at the El Gouna Film Festival,” says Jaylan Auf, the film’s director.
The 7th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival will take place between October 24th and November 1, 2024.
THE BRINK OF DREAMS - رفعت عيني للسما
MENA Premiere
Feature Documentary Competition
Won the Golden Eye Documentary Prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival
Director: Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir
Country: Egypt, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Synopsis:
In a remote village in southern Egypt, a group of girls rebel by forming an all-female street theater troupe. They dream of becoming actresses, dancers, and singers, challenging their families and villagers with their unexpected performances.
THE INEVITABLE JOURNEY TO FIND A WEDDING DRESS - الفستان الأبيض
World Premiere
Feature Narrative Competition
Cast: Yasmin Raeis, Asmaa Galal, Ahmed Khaled Saleh, Salwa Mohamed Ali
Director: Jaylan Auf
Country: Egypt
Synopsis:
Warda’s frantic search for a wedding dress on the eve of the ceremony becomes a journey of self-discovery challenging her relationship with Cairo and herself.
About El Gouna Film Festival
One of the leading festivals in the MENA region, GFF aims to showcase a wide variety of films from around the world, with emphasis on Arab cinema, for a passionate and knowledgeable audience, while fostering better communication between cultures through the art of filmmaking.
The festival’s goal is to connect filmmakers from the region with their international counterparts in the spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange. Moreover, it aims to promote and support the industry's growth in the region and provide a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work in addition to discovering new voices and talents.