El Gouna Film Festival

The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF; Egyptian Arabic: مهرجان الجونة السينمائي) is an annual film festival established in 2017, held in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, Egypt.[1][2][3] The event is hosted by the El Gouna Convention and Culture Centre.[4][5]

El Gouna Film Festival
مهرجان الجونة السينمائي
LocationEl Gouna, Egypt
Founded2017
Most recent2024
LanguageEgyptian Arabic
English
Websiteelgounafilmfestival.com
El Gouna Film Festival

Overview

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The inaugural festival started September 22, 2017.[2][6] The psychological thriller Scary Mother, by Georgian first-time director Ana Urushadze, took the Golden Star, the festival's top feature film competition prize.[7][6][8][9] Oscar-winning actor-director Forest Whitaker was feted with a lifetime achievement award.[10]

Awards

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Feature Narrative Competition

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  • El Gouna Gold Star for a Narrative Film

(Trophy, Certificate and USD 50,000)

  • El Gouna Silver Star for Narrative Film

(Trophy, Certificate and USD 25,000)

  • El Gouna Bronze Star Narrative Film

(Certificate, Trophy and USD 15,000)

  • El Gouna Star for Best Arab Narrative Film

(Trophy, Certificate and USD 20,000)

  • El Gouna Star for Best Actor

(Trophy and Certificate)

  • El Gouna Star for Best Actress

(Trophy and Certificate)

Feature Documentary Competition

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  • El Gouna Gold Star for a Documentary Film

(Trophy, Certificate and USD 30,000)

  • El Gouna Silver Star for Documentary Film

(Trophy, Certificate and USD 15,000)

  • El Gouna Bronze Star Documentary Film

(Trophy, Certificate and USD 7,500)

  • El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film

(Trophy, Certificate and USD 10,000)

2017 Winners

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Feature Narrative competition

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Golden Star: Scary Mother, Ana Urushadze

Silver Star: The Insult, Ziad Dower

Bronze Star: Arrhythmia, Boris Khlebnikov

Golden Star for Best Arabic Feature Film: Photocopy, Tamer Ashry

Best Actress: Nadia Kounda, Volubilis

Best Actor: Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Zama[7]

Cinema For Humanity Audience Award: Soufra, Thomas Morgan

Documentary competition

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Golden Star: I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck

Silver Star: Brimstone and Glory, Viktor Jakovleski

Bronze Star: Mrs Fang, Wang Bing

Golden Star For Best Arabic Documentary: I Have a Picture, Mohamed Zedan[11]

Short Film competition

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Golden Star: Nightshade, Shady El-Hamus

Silver Star: Merry-Go-Round, Ruslan Bratov

Bronze Star: Mama Bobo, Robin Andelfinger and Ibrahima Seydi

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film: Punchline, Christophe M. Saber[12]

2018 Winners

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Feature Narrative competition

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Golden Star: A Land Imagined, Yeo Siew Hua

Silver Star: Ray & Liz, Richard Billingham

Bronze Star: The Heiresses, Marcelo Martinessi

El Gouna Star for Best Arabic Narrative Film: Yomeddine, A.B. Shawky

Special Mention: The Man Who Surprised Everyone, Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov

Best Actress: Joanna Kulig, Cold War

Best Actor: Mohamed Dhrif, Dear Son

Cinema for Humanity Audience Award: Another Day Of Life; Raúl De La Fuente, Damian Nenow and Yomeddine, A.B. Shawky (joint winners)

Feature Documentary competition

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Golden Star: Aquarela, Victor Kossakovsky

Silver Star: Of Fathers and Sons, Talal Derki

Bronze Star: The Swing, Cyril Aris

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film: Of Fathers and Sons, Talal Derki

Short Film competition

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Golden Star: Our Song To War, Juanita Onzaga

Silver Star: Judgement, Raymund Ribay Gutierrez

Bronze Star: Sheikh's Watermelons, Kaouther Ben Hania

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film: EyeBrows, Tamer Ashry[13]

2019 Winners

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Feature Narrative competition

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Golden Star: You Will Die at Twenty, Amjad Abu Alala

Silver Star: Corpus Christi, Jan Komasa

Bronze Star: Adam, Maryam Touzani

El Gouna Star for Best Arabic Narrative Film: Papicha, Mounia Meddour

Best Actress: Hend Sabry, Noura's Dream

Best Actor: Bartosz Bielenia, Corpus Christi

Cinema for Humanity Audience Award: Les Misérables, Ladj Ly

FIPRESCI Award: 1982, Oualid Mouaness

Feature Documentary competition

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Golden Star: Talking About Trees, Suhaib Gasmelbari

Silver Star: 143 Sahara Street, Hassen Ferhani

Bronze Star: Kabul, City in the Wind, Aboozar Amini

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film: Ibrahim: A Fate to Define, Lina Alabed

NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film: Kabul, City in the Wind, Aboozar Amini

Short Film competition

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Golden Star: Exam, Sonia K. Haddad

Silver Star: Ome, Wassim Geagea

Bronze Star: Flesh, Camila Kater

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film: Give Up the Ghost, Zain Duraie

Special Jury Mention: 16 December, Álvaro Gago Díaz[14]

2021 Winners

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Feature Narrative competition

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Golden Star: The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, Teemu Nikki

Silver Star: Sun Down, Michel Franco

Bronze Star: Captain Volkongov Escaped, Aleksey Chupov, Natasha Merkulova

El Gouna Star for Best Arabic Narrative Film: Feathers, Omar El Zohairy

Best Actress: Petri Poikolainen, Playground

Best Actor: Perri Poikonainen, The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic

Cinema for Humanity Audience Award: Ostrove: Lost Island, Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop

FIPRESCI Award: Costa Brava, Mounia Akl

Feature Documentary competition

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Golden Star: Life of Ivana, Renato Borrayo Serrano

Silver Star: Ostrov - Lost Island, Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop

Bronze Star: Sabaya, Hogir Hirori

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Documentary Film: Captains of Za’atari, Ali El Arabi

NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film: Captain Volkongov Escaped, Aleksey Chupov, Natasha Merkulova

Short Film competition

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Golden Star: Katia, Andrey Natotcinskiy

Silver Star: Holy Son, Aliosha Massine

Bronze Star: On Solid Ground, Jela Hasler

El Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film: Cai-Ber, Ahmed Abdelsalam

Special Mention: actress Aisha Al Rifae for Nour Shams directed by Faiza Ambah[15]

Side events

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Pitching Session: CinemaTech by Gemini Africa[16][17] [18] [19] [20] [21][22]

Gemini Africa is an EgyptIan company extending into Africa and the Middle East for tech startups in an entrepreneurial pitching event under Cinematech’s track.[23]

CinemaTech is the first entrepreneurial track bridging the gap between entrepreneurship and filmmaking, with the aim of uplifting the industry by injecting technological solutions offered by startups.[24][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "El Gouna Film Festival kicks off its first edition in Egypt". English.alarabiya.net. 2017-09-23. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b "5th El-Gouna Film Festival kicks off on October 14". EgyptToday. 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  3. ^ "Highlights from the upcoming Gouna Film Festival's 5th edition - Film - Arts & Culture". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  4. ^ "El Gouna Film Festival". ArabicPod101. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  5. ^ "Feature: Egypt's El Gouna Film Festival revives tourism in famed Red Sea resort - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  6. ^ a b "El Gouna Film Festival Facts and News Updates". newsR. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  7. ^ a b Vivarelli, Nick (2017-09-29). "'Scary Mother' Takes Top Nod at Egypt's Inaugural El Gouna Fest". Variety.comy. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  8. ^ "Egyptian movie 'Photocopy' wins best Arabic Feature at Gouna Film Festival". Egypt Independent. 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  9. ^ "El Gouna Film Profile – 'Scary Mother' (Sashishi Deda)". EgyptToday. 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  10. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (13 September 2017). "Forest Whitaker to Be Feted by Egypt's New El Gouna Film Festival; Lineup Announced (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  11. ^ "El-Gouna Film Festival reveals its awards - Daily News Egypt". DAilynewsegypt.com. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  12. ^ "The First Edition of El Gouna Film Festival Concludes with Huge Aspirations For MENA and Worldwide Cinema". El Gouna Film Festival. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  13. ^ "El Gouna international film festival wraps". Euro News. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  14. ^ "3rd El Gouna Film Festivals announces the winners". Ahram Online. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  15. ^ "5th El Gouna Film Festival awards: 'The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic' wins Golden Star". Ahram Online. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  16. ^ "CINEGOUNA BRIDGE PROGRAM". elgouna film festival.
  17. ^ "GEMINI CINEMATECH TRACK". geminiafrica.com.
  18. ^ "أمينة خليل وصبا مبارك فى جلسة عرض المشاريع سينما تيك بالجونة.. صور". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). اليوم السابع. اليوم السابع. 15 October 2021.
  19. ^ "صور- مهرجان الجونة .. أمينة خليل تختار الفائز بجائزة أفضل مشروع فى سينماتيك". www.mobtada.com (in Arabic). mobtada. 15 October 2021.
  20. ^ akhbarelyom, Developed By team (16 October 2021). "الحلول التكنولوجية ودورها الفعال في تسهيل صناعة السينما بـ«جسر الجونة»| صور". بوابة اخبار اليوم. akhbarelyom.
  21. ^ "مسابقة سينماتك تعلن أسماء الفائزين في مهرجان الجونة السينمائي - بوابة الشروق". www.shorouknews.com (in Arabic). shorouknews.
  22. ^ "مهرجان الجونة السينمائي.. تعرف على الفائزين في مسابقة سينماتك". www.albawabhnews.com. albawabhnews. 15 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Inside Gemini Africa's Radical CinemaTech Track". Startupscene. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  24. ^ "Linking Entrepreneurship With Cinema — Meet Adly Thoma | 925 | The first online magazine of its kind in Egypt". 925. 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  25. ^ "The birth of CinemaTech in Egypt". Business Forward AUC. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
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