CineGouna Emerge Announces its Cinegouna Emerge Rising Stars
As one of the leading festivals in the Arab world, the El Gouna Film Festival has long served as a vital hub for emerging talents in the region. With its prestigious El Gouna Star awards for Best Arab Short Film and its extensive support for debut features through Cinegouna Funding, the festival has been at the forefront of nurturing the new generation of Arab and North African filmmakers. This year, as part of the expansion of its Cinegouna Emerge initiatives, the festival is proud to announce its inaugural cohort of Rising Stars.

Named after the renowned El Gouna star, this brand new award is dedicated to identifying and uplifting emerging Arab and North African filmmakers who have already demonstrated significant potential in their careers. These filmmakers are making their presence felt on the festival circuit both regionally and internationally, with nominations and even wins at some of the world's most prestigious cinema awards. Having already made a significant impact on the regional industry, they have much potential ahead of them.

Amr Mansi, Executive Director and co-founder of the El Gouna Film Festival, commented on the selected talents: "At the El Gouna Film Festival, we firmly believe that the future of the film industry in the region depends on supporting emerging talents and providing them with the opportunities they need to grow and develop."
He added: "The CineGouna Rising Stars Program is an extension of our commitment to supporting filmmakers from the Arab world and North Africa. Through this program, we aim to empower these filmmakers to realize their full potential. Having these rising stars at the festival allows them not only to showcase their creativity but also to learn from industry leaders and expand their professional horizons, which contributes to enriching the cinematic landscape in our region."
In turn, Marianne Khoury, the festival’s artistic director, said: "Supporting the new generation of filmmakers is at the core of the El Gouna Film Festival’s vision. Through the CineGouna Rising Stars Program, we strive to provide a platform that allows filmmakers in Egypt and the Arab world to develop and participate in a global creative dialogue."
"This initiative is a response to the need to empower and showcase new voices, as we believe that these rising stars have the ability to offer diverse perspectives and enrich cinema with their unique creativity. We look forward to seeing their increasing impact on both the local and international film scenes." Khoury added.

These Rising Stars will have the opportunity to attend El Gouna Film Festival in an effort to help anchor them in the Egyptian and Arab film industry, all while engaging in a tailored professional development program.
Hayat Aljowaily, Head of Cinegouna Emerge, and the founder of this program, said: “We had an incredibly difficult time selecting the participants for this inaugural year of the Rising Stars program: the region is full of incredible talents. We are incredibly proud of this first cohort, which we believe is a great sample of talent from all across the region, across different styles, genres, and topics”.
This year’s Rising Stars include:
Leila Basmaa, a Lebanese, Prague-based screenwriter and director mentor at FAMU and a filmmaker with an MFA in Film Directing from FAMU. Leila is currently developing her first feature film Running with Beasts, and her first feature documentary Dance with Me.

Abdullah Alkhatib, has been living in Germany since 2019, where he directed his first feature-length documentary, “Little Palestine”, which earned awards and recognition at numerous festivals. In 2023, Abdullah completed production of his first short fiction film, and he is currently working on his second feature fiction film.

Mohammed Almughanni, a film director and screenwriter. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Film Directing from Łódź Film School in Poland.He founded Gaza Films, a production and post-production company driven by a passion for storytelling that seeks to unearth and examine the depths of human emotions and motivations. His short film An Orange from Jaffa is nominated for the European Film Award 2024, and he is currently developing his first feature-length documentary, Son of the Streets. His films have been featured on Arte, Al Jazeera Documentary, and BBC Storyville.

Faris Alrjoob, an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker, his latest film The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry (21', 2023) celebrated its premiere at the 76th CANNES International Film Festival, in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes section. It won a star at the 6th ElGOUNA Film Festival, and was released by MUBI.

Dessil Mekhtigian, a filmmaker in the making. Born in Paris, raised in Egypt, and of Armenian origins, she comes from a multicultural background.After graduating from the Lycée Français du Caire, she moved to Paris to study costume design at ESMOD and worked in the field on different films and shows. She finally applied to l’école de la cité du cinéma de Luc Besson to become a director.

Noel & Michelle Keserwany, multidisciplinary artists and filmmakers from Lebanon. Since 2012, Noel and her sister Michelle have been creating satirical political music videos. In 2023, their debut short film, Les Chenilles, won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlinale, making it the first Arabic film to receive this award. The film’s success continued worldwide, earning prizes such as the Golden Star at El Gouna Film Festival, and was pre-selected for the César Awards.

Rasha Hosny, an Egyptian film producer, programmer/critic and script editor. She is a key programmer at Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). She produced her first short film, "Two Strangers, A Night," while simultaneously working on her first feature film, "Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo," which has been officially selected to have its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.Rasha was the Egyptian Film Critics Association's first female preside
nt (2020-2022), and now she is the deputy of the board.
“One thing that stood out to me with this cohort is their common desire to represent and share the stories, experiences, and perspectives of their communities. These filmmakers aim to highlight the unique narratives of their regions, such as Gaza, Lebanon, Palestine, and the broader Arab world, often focusing on underrepresented or marginalized voices. Coming from diverse, multicultural backgrounds, they all also use cinema as a means to navigate their complex identities. They’ve all also expressed a deep need for community building, which is ultimately at the core of what this program is all about,” said Hayat Aljowaily, Head of Cinegouna Emerge

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.