Egypt's El Gouna Film Festival concluded its ninth edition following nine days of international screenings, specialized labs, and industry networking events. The closing ceremony distributed major awards to filmmakers from across the Middle East and beyond, highlighting a range of narrative features, documentaries, and short films tackling pressing regional and personal themes.
The festival's most prestigious prize, the Golden Star for best narrative feature, went to director Mohammed Hammad for his psychological drama "Safe Exit." The film centers on a young Coptic security guard in Cairo facing trauma connected to religious violence. Other prominent award recipients included Ahmed Hassouna's "Citizen Osama," which captured both the Golden Star for documentary and best Arab documentary, documenting the life of a Gaza photojournalist balancing domestic life and reporting during wartime. Anders Davidsen’s "Stolen Memories" claimed the Golden Star for short film, while Rakan Mayasi’s Bekaa Valley-set "Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep" won best Arab narrative. Marie Rose Ousta's "One Day Born" earned best Arab short, while performance honors went to Jordan’s Rakeen Saad for "Boomah" and Jovan Ginić for "3 Weeks After."
Selected Winners of the 9th El Gouna Film Festival
| Award | Recipient / Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Star for Narrative Feature | Safe Exit | Mohammed Hammad |
| Golden Star for Documentary | Citizen Osama | Ahmed Hassouna |
| Best Arab Documentary | Citizen Osama | Ahmed Hassouna |
| Golden Star for Short Film | Stolen Memories | Anders Davidsen |
| Best Arab Narrative | Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep | Rakan Mayasi |
| Best Arab Short | One Day Born | Marie Rose Ousta |
| Best Actress | Rakeen Saad (Boomah) | Zaid Abu Hamdan |
| Best Actor | Jovan Ginić (3 Weeks After) | Miroslav Terzić |
CineGouna Expands Industry and Television Footprint
Beyond the competitive screenings, the CineGouna platform took center stage as an increasingly vital engine for Arab cinema and television. Co-founder and executive director Amr Mansi emphasized the festival's priority to elevate its industry platform, a goal mirrored by this year's numbers. More than 320 projects applied for CineGouna Funding, resulting in 19 selected projects sharing over $350,000 across 40 awards. The event also arranged more than 140 one-on-one meetings connecting regional creators with production companies, institutions, and global festivals.
CineGouna's operational arms—comprising Funding, the Forum program of masterclasses and panels, the Market, and the Emerge youth initiative—were bolstered this year by newly introduced programs. These additions included Egyptian Voices, dedicated to domestic development, and a specialized Series lab targeting Arab television projects. The six-week television initiative brought six selected series to pitch before potential production partners to help guide projects past early development phases.
Addressing Creative Bottlenecks and Regional Crises
The launch of the series initiative sparked broader discussions regarding bottlenecks in Arab television broadcasting. Veteran Egyptian screenwriter and producer Mariam Naoum, who led the development lab, pointed out that while regional talent is abundant, creators are limited by having only three or four active platforms to pitch. Producer Haitham Dabbour noted that the shrinking pool of buyers has led to increased caution among financiers, while director Mariam Abou Ouf voiced concern that the market is nearing a deadlock.
The reality of ongoing regional conflict and displacement was another central theme of the gathering. Through a partnership with the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the International Emerging Film Talent Association, the festival launched the Safe Harbour MENA program. Designed to assist four filmmakers displaced within the region through development, training, and networking, the program focused on providing practical career continuity rather than merely offering an exhibition showcase. The reality facing regional artists was highlighted by the documentary wins for "Citizen Osama," as director Ahmed Hassouna continues to reside in Gaza.
Calls for Artistic Independence and Broader Outreach
Egyptian filmmakers used the event to advocate for greater artistic autonomy and lower financial risk models. Producer Mohammad Mashish reflected on a younger generation possessing more freedom than their predecessors alongside audiences familiar with global cinema, while distributor Ziad Srouji stressed that storytelling specificity is what truly travels internationally. Filmmaker Muhammad Mustapha, who debuted his documentary "Big Boys Don’t Cry" at the festival, similarly called for systems that enable increased creative risk-taking.
To bridge the gap between the upscale coastal resort and the general public, festival organizers also unveiled the Cinema on Wheels tour. Spearheaded by artistic director Andrew Mohsen and Mansi, the traveling initiative presents three festival shorts across Hurghada, Minya, Qena, Luxor, and Aswan before finishing in Cairo. The free screenings and open audience discussions are intended to extend El Gouna's cultural footprint far beyond the Red Sea resort town.
As festival operations wrap, participants in the inaugural CineGouna Series lab and Safe Harbour MENA initiative will transition their pitched projects into future production phases across regional markets.
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Source: Variety
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