CineGouna Funding Announces the Sponsors and Awards for its 7th Edition

• A grand total of US $360,000 in awards, including US $180,000 in cash prizes.

• Nine invitations to the most important development labs, markets and international festivals directed towards the CineGouna projects

• A special mentoring program with industry expert Paul Foley to enable filmmakers to develop their projects

El Gouna Film Festival announces the list of sponsors and awards for the 7th edition of CineGouna Funding, the festival’s project development and co-production platform, which will be held as part of the festival’s 7th edition, from October 25ᵗʰ to 31ˢᵗ, 2024.

The total estimated value of this year’s CineGouna Funding Awards exceeds US $360,000, which includes US $180,000 in cash, with 21 Arab projects competing in the Development and post-production stages, a record total of awards with which El Gouna Film Festival continues its support for Arab cinema and talented filmmakers.

The best project in development and film in post-production will receive a CineGouna Platform certificate and a cash prize of US $15,000 each. 

Several leading production and service companies, along with prominent cinematic foundations and institutions, offer multiple awards for which projects compete. This includes 9 different invitations for filmmakers to attend key development labs, markets, and international festivals, ensuring they can enrich their projects and expand their network within the global cinematic community.

The selected projects will benefit from a valuable mentoring program to help develop their pitching skills, supervised by American film expert Paul Foley, screenwriter and professor at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts. The mentoring program is provided by Alamiya Filmed Entertainment.

Our sponsors presenting the cash awards for the 7th Edition of CineGouna Funding come from: Rotana, Arab Radio and Television (ART), New Century Productions, Lagoonie Film Production, Red Star Films, MBC Studios, International Emerging Talents Association (IEFTA), Rise Studios, Blue Bee Productions, ESLSCA University, O West, The Sound of Egypt, Red Sea Fund, Her Story Films, and Sard.

While service awards in distribution, post-production and artistic invitations come from: the US Embassy in Cairo and Film Independent, the French Embassy in Cairo and Institut Français, MAD Solution and Arab Cinema Center, The Royal Film Commission - Jordan, Sard, Torino Film Lab, Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), Bee Media Productions, Big Bang Studios, Shift Studios, and the Euro- Mediterranean Documentary Market (MediMed).

Amr Mansi, Co-founder and Executive Director of El Gouna Film Festival, spoke about the awards, saying: “The increasing number of sponsors and the value of the awards granted each year reflects the appreciation of our partners in the various film and artistic sectors to the vital role that El Gouna Film Festival and CineGouna Funding are playing, and to the festival team’s ability to select the best Arab projects that deserve support.”

Marianne Khoury, the artistic director of El Gouna Film Festival, expressed special thanks to all the sponsors who contributed to supporting the CineGouna Funding, saying, "The sponsors’ continuous support reflects their commitment to culture and the arts, and it helps elevate the status of the El Gouna Festival as a beacon of creativity." She added, "Our main goal has always been to provide the best possible resources for Arab filmmakers, which we aim to achieve through CineGouna Funding. We have successfully attracted sponsors and donors from around the world."

Ahmed Shawky, Head of CineGouna Funding, commented saying: “We thank all our sponsors in the 7th Edition, whether they are returning partners from previous editions, or new supporters who decided to join us on our journey aimed at highlighting and supporting the best film projects in the region.”

Here is the full list of awards for the 7th edition of CineGouna Funding. The list is as of October 2ⁿᵈ, 2024, please note some awards may be added before the festival starts:

• CineGouna Platform Award US $15,000 in cash for a project in development
• CineGouna Platform Award US $15,000 in cash for a project in post-production
• US $20,000 cash grant from Rotana
• US $10,000 cash grant from Arab Radio and Television (ART)

• US $10,000 cash grant from New Century Productions

• US $10,000 cash grant from Lagoonie Film Production

• US $10,000 cash grant from Red Star Films

• US $10,000 cash grant from MBC Studios

• US $10,000 cash grant from International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA)

• US $10,000 cash grant from Rise Studios

• US $10,000 cash grant from Blue Bee Productions

• US $10,000 cash grant from ESLSCA University

• US $10,000 cash grant from O West

• US $10,000 cash grant from The Sound of Egypt

• US $5,000 cash grant from Red Sea Fund for a project in Development

• US $5,000 cash grant from Red Sea Fund for a film in Post-production

• US $5,000 cash grant from Her Story Films

• US $5,000 cash grant from Sard

• US $5,000 worth of script development by Mariam Naoum from Sard

• A filmmaker residency in Los Angeles from The American Embassy in Cairo and Film Independent, valued at US $13,000

• Two invitations to a French film festival from The French Embassy in Egypt / Institut Français d'Egypte

• US $50,000 as MG for sales and distribution from MAD Solutions

• An invitation worth US $5,000 for an Arab producer to attend the Rotterdam Film Lab, provided by the Arab Cinema Centre

• An invitation for a project in development to participate in the Rawi Film Lab, offered by the Royal Film Commission - Jordan.

• An invitation for a project in development to participate in Mosaic Film Lab by Royal Film Commission - Jordan.

• IEFTA and Torino Film Lab Award: A secured place in TFL Next 2025 for a project in. development, covering the participation fees EUR €1,700.

• IEFTA and Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) Award: A free European Film Market badge for the producer of one documentary project, along with a travel bursary of EUR €1,500 to attend the market, and a one-year free membership to DAE.

• US $23,000 worth of post-production facilities from Bee Media Productions, presented to two projects.

• US $20,000 worth of post-production facilities from Big Bang Studios, presented to two projects.

• US $10,000 worth of full DCP package services from Shift Studios.

• US $10,000 worth of full promotion package services from Shift Studios.

• An invitation for a documentary project in development to participate in The Euro-

Mediterranean Documentary Market (MediMed)