Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival opens its ninth edition today on the Red Sea coast, with the French comedy-drama “All About Corinne” screening as the opening film ahead of a nine-day programme running through October 23. Directed by Marc Fitoussi and starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, the opener — known in French as “Ni vue, ni connue” — sets the tone under the festival’s “Cinema for Humanity” banner.
British director Joanna Hogg, known for “The Souvenir” and “The Eternal Daughter,” presides over the narrative competition jury and will also give a masterclass titled “Life Into Film.” The Golden Star for the best narrative film carries a $50,000 prize, and international guests are arriving as air-travel disruption across the Middle East continues to test travel plans.
A platform for Arab and African cinema
The programme gives prominent space to Arab cinema. The Egyptian feature “Safe Exit”, written and directed by Mohammed Hammad, competes in the full feature narrative competition, while Nigeria’s Oscar entry “Dear Ajayi” receives its North African premiere at the festival.
The opening weekend unfolds alongside a busy global news cycle, from political upheavals in Latin America to fresh questions over how the world governs new technology.
The industry gathers on the Red Sea
Held in the Red Sea resort roughly 250 miles south of Cairo, the festival has grown into one of the region’s most prominent film events, drawing filmmakers, actors and industry professionals from Egypt and beyond. Armani beauty has signed on as the official beauty partner of this year’s edition, providing make-up services for festival guests and hosting a dinner for film and creative personalities.
The juries span continents. Alongside Hogg sit Egyptian actress Nahed El Sebaie, composer Khaled Hammad, Iraqi-Kurdish filmmaker Shawkat Amin Korki and Turkish director Yeşim Ustaoğlu, while Swiss-Iraqi filmmaker Samir presides over the documentary and Green Star juries and the short-film jury includes Saudi director Meshal AlJaser, Tunisian director Amel Guellaty and Greek actor-director Christos Passalis.
