El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) is pleased to announce the Call for Entries for its upcoming 6^th edition. Interested filmmakers can now submit their feature narratives, documentaries or shorts to the festival’s competitive sections. The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2022. Entry form and complete information regarding eligibility for submission can be found on the festival’s website: www.elgounafilmfestival.com

Over the past five years, GFF has secured its place as an artistic leader in the region, with steadily growing support from the cinematic community and film industry professionals. Year after year, the festival witnesses a growing number of film submissions. These films, together with others selected from international festivals as well as international sales, distribution and production companies, form a unique cinematic selection that is the cornerstone of the festival’s success and its growing impact.

Festival Director Intishal Al Timimi commented, “For five years, our festival has become a hub for the finest cinematic productions from around the world. Yearly, our films gain international acclaim and are recognized at the awards season; a result of the fine work of our programming team in curating a distinguished film selection. This year we are on a mission to find eminent cinematic productions and connect with rising talented voices.”

Selected films will compete for El Gouna star awards and US $234,000 total cash prize through the festival’s Feature Narrative Competition, Feature Documentary Competition, or Short Film Competition. Films with a humanitarian theme will be eligible to compete for the Cinema for Humanity Audience Award, while films that share knowledge and/or raise awareness on issues related to the environment, ecology or wildlife, as well as their sustainability and importance will be considered for El Gouna Green Star Award. 

It is worth noting that the festival decided to extend its yearly duration to a total of 10 days, which will result in increasing the number of events and will give attendees and guests more time to watch a bigger number of films and attend more activities.  Thus, the  6th edition will take place October 13-22, 2022; the 7th edition will be held October 12-21, 2023; and the 8th edition October 17-26, 2024.

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.