El-Gouna Film Festival kicks off with films from Palestine, Sudan
The sixth edition of El-Gouna Film Festival (GFF), after two delays, starts on Thursday with special programmes, featuring Palestinian and Sudanese films.
The festival, taking place at the Red Sea resort of El-Gouna, runs from December 14th through December 21st.
The special edition of the festival, as outlined by the organisers, will not feature an opening or closing ceremony, both events being the most marketed and highlighted of the festival in media coverage.
According to GFF, it will not be holding any other special celebrations, reaffirming its solidarity with Palestinians.
The festival will feature a programme on Palestinian cinema in partnership with the Palestine Film Institute, aiming to “shed light on the current situation and inhumane conditions in Gaza.” in addition to hosting a fundraising dinner to gather donations for Gaza’s humanitarian aid, which will be given to the Egyptian Red Crescent.
The GFF will also feature a special section on memorable works of Sudanese films, restored by the Sudanese Film Group (SFG) in collaboration with the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art.
The organisers have announced Marianne Khoury as the new artistic director for the sixth edition of the GFF.
The sixth edition of the GFF will open with the short film “60 Egyptian Pounds” by Egyptian filmmaker Amr Salama, the first short film to open the festival. The film will also compete in the Short Film Competition.
The 2023 festival consists of 80 films, including 12 full-length fiction films, 12 documentaries, and 21 short films in the official competition. Additionally, the festival will extend to Cairo, featuring selected films at Zawya, a downtown art house cinema.
