Gouna Conference and Culture Centre Set to Host the 2020 Events and Activities of GFF

Responding to the challenging circumstances that all international film festivals are facing and with the intention to deliver a safe festival experience to its guests and audiences, El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) has announced slightly revised dates of its 4^th edition, that is now scheduled to take place one month later than initially planned, and will run from October 23 to 31, 2020 in the Egyptian resort town of El Gouna. The festival program will be announced by the end of September, 2020.

GFF Director Intishal Al Timimi stated: “Several film festivals have been impacted by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and their return to the scene will send a positive signal that the world is on its way to normalcy. At GFF, we choose to live in this hope and positivity and continue our commitment to make a contribution to the development of cinema internationally and in the region and to ensure a safe yet enjoyable experience for all participants.”

One of the eagerly anticipated highlights of this year is that the festival will be the first public event hosted at the site of Gouna Conference and Culture Centre (GCCC), which features an architectural design of 8000-square-meter-wide open space, providing a unique and spacious atmosphere for a new cultural and cinematic experience.

Subject to the governmental regulations at the time, the festival is exploring possibilities of utilizing indoor and outdoor spaces as well as online activities, especially those that are related to CineGouna Platform, in order to offer a productive festival experience. GFF will, however, first and foremost, ensure the safety and comfort of its participants and audiences by putting in place all necessary measures recommended by the health authorities.

The programming team has been busy at work since the beginning of the year tracking, soliciting, and previewing films for this new edition. Currently more than 800 projects in development and films in post-production have been submitted to GFF.

Bushra Rozza commented: “We are in constant dialogue with the key industry players and other international film festivals to study how film festivals may adapt to the current situation and continue to play their roles in developing the industry regionally and internationally. Our team participated in the virtual Marche du Film, not only to meet sales agents and producers to source their films, but also to study the experience of a digital-only film market. Furthermore, the members of the team will be attending the Fall festivals to bring to the region the best and newest crop of films.”

About El Gouna Film Festival

One of the leading festivals in the MENA region, GFF aims to showcase a wide variety of films for a passionate and knowledgeable audience, while fostering better communication between cultures through the art of filmmaking. Its goal is to connect filmmakers from the region with their international counterparts in the spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange. The Festival is committed to the discovery of new voices and strives to be a catalyst for the development of cinema in the Arab world.