For the 3^rd time, the El Gouna Film Festival has officially opened its curtains in Egypt. More than 200 filmmakers and movie stars, including Canadian-Egyptian actor Mena Massoud –best known for playing the lead role in the latest Disney remake of Aladdin – appeared on the red carpet.  

In an interview with Euronews, Massoud said the reason for such festivals is to show the rest of the world how much their film industry has grown. He further continued to state that although they celebrate American movies, they also celebrate films from the Middle Eastern and North African regions. And he hopes that such festivals can show the world how much execution, talent, and ambition they have.

The festivals will showcase 84 films, representing 41 different countries. Some of this year’s picks are films which already showed in international film festivals such as San Sebastian, Toronto, and Venice. Although many films are being aired in the MENA region for the first time and 14 world launches are expected.

According to COO and co-founder Bushra Rozza, the plan is to put the festival on the international map. She further added that they collaborate with individual organizations, like UNICEF – for example, this year – and they are working hard to try and catch up with the world and put themselves with solid steps on the map.

Tunisian actress and member of this year’s tribunal Dorra Zarrouk expressed the significance of such festivals for the region in forthcoming years. In her statement, she said that the Middle East and the Arab region need such kind of festivals because they’re in favor of championing cinema. And it also gives them hope, for the future, as many young people work at the festival.

That GFF edition will also honor the big name of Arabic cinema, such as Palestinian producer and director Mai Masri. During the opening ceremony, Mai received a Career Achievement Award for her long-lasting commitment to cinema.

According to festival director Intishal AL Timimi, they not only see the GFF as an international film festival but also as a bridge between Arab filmmakers and world cinema. He further said that it’s essential to represent the region with high-quality movies, as film selection shouldn’t be determined based on geographical factors.

Competitors from outside the region include French director Stephane Demoustier’s The Girl With The Bracelet, which launched at Locarno, and Polish director Jan Komasa’s religious drama Corpus Christi, which debuted in Venice.

Outside of the competitive part, other focus includes the screening of Egypt’s first feature-length animation, The Knight And The Princess. An adventure tale inspired by a real-life 7^th-century Arab warrior directed and Written by Bashir El-Deek,  and artwork by cartoonist Mustafa Hussein. Other international features screening out of the contest include Parasite System Crasher, Les Miserables, and Saturday Fiction.

Although it’s one of the latest film festivals in the region, the El Gouna Film Festival is not only ushering emerging talent to the spotlight but also allowing local and Hollywood filmmakers to come together and share experiences, mostly when cultural exchanges are needed.

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