The forthcoming seventh edition of El Gouna Film Festival, to be held from October 24 to November 1, 2024, witnesses the launch of a new program focusing on short films, under the umbrella of CineGouna. The activities of CineGouna will take place from 25 to 31 October, 2024.

“CineGouna Shorts” is a new program designed to create opportunities and expand the potential of promising short films. The program kicks off its activities with an open call for Egyptian filmmakers to apply for its cash awards for short narrative films in production.

The awards are powered by O West, the fully integrated town by Orascom Development, who is providing a generous fund worth EGP 2,250,000, that will go to three awards. The selected projects will compete to win a first award of EGP 1,000,000, a second award of EGP 750,000 and a third of EGP 500,000.

Amr Mansi, Executive Director of El Gouna Film Festival, says “The decision to dedicate a special section for short films comes within GFF’s strategy to motivate and support young film makers and contribute to the development of the film industry. This comes as an extension for GFF’s growing partnership with O West who have been a keen partner on supporting the filmmaking scene.”

And it doesn't stop at funding, the winning projects get to have their MENA premiere at the GFF edition that immediately follows their production.  Moreover, the program will offer these films a platform to be screened and celebrated at their home through the official Short Film Competition at GFF, which showcases the year’s most prominent shorts.  They will also be given the freedom to gain exposure and be seen by the world in international film festivals. 

On another note, Tamer Dewidar, CEO of O West, Makadi Heights, and Byoum commented “O West is keen on enriching the arts and culture scene in Egypt, where GFF came as a great opportunity for us to extend this support to one of the most powerful forms of art: Cinema. Our collaboration keeps growing into new impactful programs, the latest of which is CineGouna Shorts. This is fueled by O West’s genuine interest in supporting Egyptian filmmakers and empowering the filmmaking industry as a whole in line with our vision to build an integrated town that is vibrant and adding value to the society in education, art & culture, sports, and entrepreneurship.”

CineGouna Shorts will be accepting submissions for the awards from Egyptian filmmakers starting the 22nd of August and until the 7th of September. The selected projects will be invited to GFF where the filmmakers will be pitching their films to a jury of industry professionals. The winning projects shall be announced on the 31st of October.

GFF’s Artistic Director, Marianne Khoury, expressed her joy for CineGouna Shorts, “I’m happy to see short films being empowered and given new impactful spaces. This is a great opportunity to bring new talented calibers to the filmmaking industry.” 

Mariam Naoum, Head of CineGouna Forum, says that what is special about CineGouna Shorts is that it empowers a format that is often overlooked yet holds great value for filmmakers. For the past few years Egyptian short films have gained international acclaim, achieving some of the most reputable awards in an array of top-notch international film festivals. Short films are a filmmaker's way of presenting themselves to the world. They are also a breath of fresh air for established filmmakers who often crave working on their own passion projects, free from the constrictions of commercial filmmaking.

This collaboration between O West and GFF, is not the first; last June, this collaboration was celebrated through “CineGouna in O West”, where the activities of CineGouna were brought to the heart of Cairo, for the first but definitely not the last time.

This initiative aims to provide Cairo with the impactful and rich experience of CineGouna, fostering artistic and financial growth through workshops, masterclasses, panels, and networking opportunities.

This stems from O West’s ongoing support to GFF as one of its main sponsors, which reflects the town’s keenness on sponsoring young cinematic talents and fostering cultural activities. 

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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.

About O West:

O West, one of Orascom Development’s fully integrated towns in west Cairo is located on an area of 4.2 Mn m2 with a one-of-a-kind urban design that harmoniously combines residential buildings with landscapes and green areas. The town is divided into different neighborhoods, places for social events, in addition to vital facilities and amenities. O West includes 11,000 residential units, a medical area, a commercial area, administrative offices that aim to support entrepreneurship, a health complex, 4 major international schools, and O Business District. O West Club is considered to be one of the biggest clubs in west Cairo, located on an area of 15.3 K m2. O West is also a smart town, with a smart roads network connecting the entire town, as well as smart security solutions that provide high safety levels for all the town residents through surveillance systems operating throughout the day, in addition to a smart irrigation system that helps rationalize water consumption.