The second day of El Gouna Film Festival’s (GFF) 5th edition witnessed a variety of screenings and significant events, among which was the opening ceremony of CineGouna Platform (CGP) at 9:30 p.m. at El Gouna Conference and Culture Center (GCCC).

It’s important to note that CGP is oriented towards filmmaking and was created with the aim of transforming and aiding Arab filmmakers in securing artistic and financial assistance. CineGouna Platform includes two programs: CineGouna Bridge and CineGouna SpringBoard, which offers vital opportunities for learning.

For its 5th edition, CineGouna Platform incorporated 20 cinematic projects, of which 13 are projects in development and 6 are films in post-production in addition to one guest film in post-production. CGP’s awards comprise a total of US $300,000.

Additionally, the Retrospective Exhibition for the renowned Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski will open its doors, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the director’s passing with Intishal Al Timimi, GFF Director, Bushra Rozza, Co-founder and Chief Operations and Foreign Relations Officer, Amir Ramses, Artistic Director, and distinguished art director and production designer Onsi Abou Seif attending.

Regarding GFF’s film program, the second day of the festival’s 5th edition showcased a unique range of films such as the Egyptian film Captains of Za’atari by Ali El Araby, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and is having its MENA Premiere at GFF’s 5th edition as part of its Feature Documentary Competition. The film’s red carpet began at 5:30 p.m. at El Gouna Conference and Culture Center with the screening starting at 6:30 p.m.

In terms of GFF’s Feature Narrative Competition, the Russian film Captain Volkonogov Escaped, which participated at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival and competed for its Golden Lion award.

Additionally, El Gouna Film Festival’s Short Film Competition commenced with its first program, which was screened at the Audimax hall at TU Berlin. The first of the short film programs is comprised of five films, including the Egyptian film CAI-BER by Ahmed Abd El Salam in its World Premiere and the Saudi film Nour Shams by Faiza Ambah.

The activities of the third day of GFF’s 5th Edition, held on October 17, 2021.

Tomorrow, the events of the 5th edition of GFF continue with a special variety of activities and screenings, including the screening of the Egyptian film Feathers by Omar El Zohairy, which achieved an unprecedented feat for Egyptian cinema by winning the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week as well as the FIPRESCI Award at the same festival.

Competing as a part of GFF’s Feature Narrative Competition, the film’s red carpet will start at 5:30 p.m. with its screening at 6:30 p.m. at El Gouna Conference and Culture Center. Additionally under the guise of the Feature Narrative Competition, the film Compartment no. 6, winner of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix, will be screened at 9:45 p.m. at Sea Cinema.

Moreover, CGP’s panel discussions will commence with a panel titled Cinema as an Agent for Social Change, which discusses the role of cinema in public debates and how film can be an agent of change.

The panelists for this discussion include Egyptian director Ali El Arabi, Lebanese director Zeina Daccache, Hovig Etyemezian, who heads UNHCR’s Innovation Service, Suba Umathevan, CEO of Drosos Foundation, with the moderator being Mariam Farag. The panel will be held at 10:30 a.m. at TU Berlin’s Audimax hall.

One of GFF’s most important events will also be held tomorrow, which is a masterclass by famed American director Darren Aronofsky, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his film Black Swan. The masterclass will take place at 4:00 p.m. at Festival Plaza with Teresa Cavina, festival programmer and project analyst, moderating.

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 hub CineGouna Platform.