For the second year, El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) partners with the Marché du Film, Cinando and the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations (FIAPF) for The Festivals Hub by hosting the Festivals and Sales mixer, an event dedicated to bringing together the film community from all over the world to connect and network.

The networking event, which took place at the Plage des Palmes during the 75th Festival de Cannes, was attended by key industry professionals, representatives from GFF, Festival Director Intishal Al Timimi, and members of GFF’s programing department; representatives from the FIAPF, Managing Director Benoit Ginisty and Festivals Director Florence Girot  and the Marché du Film co-directors Jérôme Paillard and Guillaume Esmiol as well as representatives from Cinando.

Jérôme Paillard, co-director of the Marché du Film, stated: “After three years of cancellations, digital and hybrid editions, this Cannes was an important reunion for the festival and market industry to take stock of the past three years and where we are going. The Festivals Hub program helped facilitate this rencontre and the reflections on the future of the industry, both through conferences as well as a more relaxed, cocktail setting. The informal moments of connection are crucial to forging lasting relationships, and we are delighted to see the return of our collaboration with El Gouna Film Festival as well as the FIAPF to help facilitate that.”

Guillaume Esmiol, co-director of the Marché du Film, added: “We look forward to continuing to forge strong relationships with El Gouna Film Festival and all other film festivals that attend Cannes through The Festivals Hub program. The Festivals Hub is an important rendez-vous for the festival industry, and we are thrilled to have the support of El Gouna Film Festival and the FIAPF behind us once again for what will surely become a vital yearly reunion.”

GFF director, Intishal Al Timimi explained: “We are delighted to renew our collaboration with Marché du Film, Cinando and FIAPF for the second year to support The Festivals Hub, and celebrate our diverse and creative film community. This yearly rendez-vous is the perfect meeting point for filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world to connect, network and share their experiences and expertise.”

The Festivals Hub is Marché du Film’s exclusive program dedicated to film festivals and markets from around the world, offering an exclusive program of events designed to create and promote synergies between film festivals.

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, especially through its industry arm, CineGouna Platform.

FIAPF

With a vast membership of national producers’ organizations across the globe, FIAPF – International Federation of Film Producers Associations is the voice of the producers’ community worldwide. FIAPF extends its commitment to the industry with the Accreditation Programme for International Film Festivals, which bridges producers' and festivals’ interests for the sake of films. As of now, the Accreditation Programme brings together 45 International Film Festivals from 28 countries on the five continents.