CineGouna Series, El Gouna Film Festival’s (GFF) newest initiative dedicated to the development of Arabic television series, is pleased to announce the selection of six projects for participation in its pilot round. The initiative begins with intensive mentoring sessions and supports writers by presenting their potential projects to some of the industry’s specialists, decision-makers, and television drama producers during the 9th edition of El Gouna Film Festival.

The program received 165 applications; 6 were selected, including a wide range of subjects, storytelling styles, and voices while exploring various social issues and modern human stories told through the eyes of a new promising generation of writers from the Arab world.

The selected projects are:

• “The Half Hour” by Mohammed Elsayed Taha (Egypt
• “There's Something Wrong”  by Marim Dagher (Egypt)
• “To the Edge” by Mamdouh Salah, Muhammed Abd Elsattar (Egypt)
• “Why, Soad?” By Rana Wael Matar (Saudi Arabia)
• “Marketing for Beginners” by Shaimaa Gohar (Egypt)
• “Sent From Above” by Dareen Shamseddine (Lebanon)

Andrew Mohsen, Artistic Director of GFF, says "The diversity of projects submitted from different countries reflects the strong confidence in the inaugural edition of CineGouna Series and confirms that the festival is on the right path with this new program, which is set to become a significant addition to the series industry across the Arab world."

GFF’s CineGouna Series aims to support young and promising voices in the series writing field through facilitating a professional environment designed to foster creativity led by highly specialized experts. Moreover, the initiative is geared towards building lasting connections with long-term producers, social platforms, television stations and regional production companies.

“I think what makes CineGouna Series stand out as an initiative is that it offers participants an opportunity to both expand their capabilities as writers from a creative standpoint and also offers them the chance to gain hands-on experience when it comes to marketing their series to well-established producers, actors and other potential partners within their specific sector,” explains Mariam Naoum, Head of CineGouna Series. “Moreover, it gives these young and talented writers from various Arab countries that opportunity to work with experts and one another to boost the sector as a whole.”

The program is divided into two phases. The first phase is a six-week development lab held digitally. The second phase takes place during El Gouna Film Festival as a marketplace where writers participate in a program with individual sessions, communication, as well as opportunities to present their projects to industry representatives. The aim is for all these interactions to help develop these projects into television shows that can be produced and to reach audiences around the region.

This pilot project represents a tangible new step in fulfilling the commitment by El Gouna Film Festival in supporting the drama industry in the region and investing in future writers and innovators. It also strengthens that region’s position as a hub for stories that can compete regionally and internationally.