El Gouna artistic director Marianne Khoury talks about the festival’s return | Features

After a few difficult years, the El Gouna Film Festival returns with renewed energy and a new vision to defend emerging filmmakers and diversify its audience.

The seventh edition of El Gouna will take place from October 24 to November 1 in the Egyptian resort on the Red Sea, screening more than 80 feature and short films from more than 30 countries. This follows the decision to cancel the event in 2022 to examine the “artistic and organizational aspect of the festival” and to postpone last year’s edition due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza.

Marianne Khoury joined as artistic director just months before last year’s more low-key sixth edition, which brought back the usual glamor of the festival to focus primarily on film screenings.

“These circumstances helped me achieve what I set out to do,” says Khoury, who wants to draw more attention to the program, with an emphasis on Arab cinema, as opposed to the glitz of red carpet. “I was chosen for this role to bring about change. »

Reshaping one of the Middle East and North Africa’s premier festivals is no small feat, but Khoury’s experience is vast. With over three decades of experience as a director and producer, she is managing partner of Cairo-based Misr International Films, founded by her uncle, renowned Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. Khoury also created the Zawya Cinema, the Egyptian art house, and the Panorama of Europe, an annual event that presents award-winning films in Cairo.

“For me, a festival is a cinematic environment centered around cinema,” she says. “El Gouna has always had solid programming, but it needs to reach a more diverse audience. »

Among the award-winning international feature films, let us cite that of Coralie Fargeat The bottomwhich won the Best Screenplay prize when it was broadcast in Competition at Cannes; That of Mohammad Rasoulof The seed of the sacred figwho won two awards including the Special Jury Prize at Cannes; and that of Pedro Almodovar The room next doorwinner of the Golden Lion in Venice.

Among the 15 competitors competing for the Gold Star are Arab titles such as that of Meryam Joobeur. Who do I belong to?who played in competition at the Berlinale, and that of Nabil Ayouch Everyone loves Toudawhich premiered in Cannes.

Among the 12 Arab titles selected in competition for feature-length documentaries, let us cite that of Ayman El Amir. On the edge of dreamswhich won the Golden Eye Award for best documentary at Cannes Critics’ Week; and Tell Them About Us by Rand Beiruty, which premiered at CPH:DOX.

“We are always looking for unique discoveries,” says Khoury. “I prefer to look for unusual films representative of Southern cinema. »

Nearly 50% of the line-up is made by women – including that of Saule Bliuvaite Toxicwinner of the Golden Leopard of Locarno, and Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas Thank you for doing business with us! – while 12 of the 55 feature films in the selection are either first or second films.

This year, Mahmoud Hemida, an Egyptian producer and filmmaker who runs the production company Al-Batrik, will be recognized with lifetime achievement awards this year; and Lebanese filmmakers Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige.

Support for emerging talents

In addition to recognizing these established personalities, the festival will highlight emerging talents, notably with CineGouna Emerge, a section dedicated to young talents. The program, now in its second year, invited 200 film students and emerging filmmakers from various Egyptian cities to experience the festival for seven days, where they will watch films and participate in workshops and masterclasses.

Other elements aimed at supporting regional talent and promoting creativity within the local industry include CineGouna funding (formerly CineGouna SpringBoard), which supports Arab projects in development and post-production; as well as CineGouna Forum (formerly CineGouna Bridge), which will continue to provide professional development opportunities through industry discussions, masterclasses and workshops.

Still on the industry side, a second edition of the CineGouna Market will welcome 22 exhibitors and a new program promoting networking and meetings with industry experts, adapted to the specific needs of each company.

Additionally, the new CineGouna Shorts section will include a funding competition for short films, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to nurturing creative talent.

It gives El Gouna a strong offering in the competitive MENA film festival space, which includes Marrakech, Cairo and the newest entrant, the Red Sea International Film Festival.

However, Khoury views this competition from a different perspective. “Filmmakers these days need multiple platforms to support their work,” she adds. “It’s about the visibility that a festival can offer to the filmmaker.”