As of November 30th, The El Gouna Film Festival 2023 in Egypt has been rescheduled to run from December 14th to 21st after two postponements.
Alongside the initially disclosed lineup, this edition will feature a unique program dedicated to showcasing Palestinian films, in cooperation with the Palestine Film Institute.
As of October 19th, the already postponed sixth edition of El Gouna Film Festival 2023 has been postponed for the second time this year. In an official Instagram post, GFF declares that “in light of the deeply distressing circumstances prevailing in Gaza, the management of El Gouna Film Festival has made the conscious decision to postpone the forthcoming sixth edition of the festival.”
GFF has made a donation of LE 5 Million “to fortify the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” in partnership with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society.
“The GFF management aspires for the resumption of the 6th edition, when the situation stabilises in the Palestinian lands,” concludes GFF in their postponement announcement.
We have no definitive answer as to whether or not El Gouna Film Festival 2023 is officially cancelled.
As of October 10th, the El Gouna Film Festival 2023 has been postponed. The official statement reads that “in light of deeply troubling circumstances resulting in the loss of innocent lives,” the festival’s management has decided to postpone till 27th October till 2nd November 2023. The central theme this year is ‘cinema for humanity,’ and El Gouna Film Festival 2023 remains committed to amplifying this message. This follows the current escalations that have been going on in the Gaza Strip and across Palestine at large on October 7th.
As of September 6th: After a one-year break, the 6th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival 2023 is *finally* returning.
Founded in 2017 by Engineer Naguib Sawiris, GFF is one of the leading film festivals in the MENA region. Recognized for its commitment to curating an eclectic array of films from around the globe, the festival emphasizes on celebrating the vibrancy of Arab cinema. It aims to promote and support the development of the regional film industry by providing a platform for filmmakers to unveil their work to the world. The festival is also committed to the unearthing of emerging talents and strives to be a catalyst for the growth of cinema in the Arab world especially through the dynamic CineGouna platform.
Via @elgounafilmfestivalofficial on Instagram
When is El Gouna Film Festival 2023?
The iconic festival is set to take place from the 13th to the 20th of October 2023.
Where is El Gouna Film Festival 2023?
The 6th edition of GFF will take place in the resort town of El Gouna, located on the Red Sea, Egypt.
What’s new this year?
The GFF announced its return this year under the leadership of a new Executive Director, Amr Mansi, who is also the festival’s co-founder.
Adding to the excitement, the 6th edition promises a cinematic renaissance as eight restored short and medium-length films from the esteemed ‘Sudanese Film Group‘ will play in the ‘Special Presentations Section’ of the festival offering a captivating experience for the audience.
What is the lineup this year?
The lineup for the 6th edition of the festival represents a blend of cinematic excellence and the profound impact of storytelling that transcends borders. The lineup not only celebrates the talent of acclaimed and well-established international filmmakers but also showcases the work of emerging talents from around the globe.
The films included in the lineup so far are-
- ANATOMY OF A FALL (ANATOMIE D’UNE CHUTE) | JUSTINE TRIET | FRANCE
- THE BURITI FLOWER (CROWRA) | JOÃO SALAVIZA, RENÉE NADER MESSORA | BRAZIL
- MAY DECEMBER | TODD HAYNES | UNITED STATES
- OBSCURE NIGHT – GOODBYE HERE, ANYWHERE (NUIT OBSCURE – AU REVOIR ICI, N’IMPORTE OÙ) | SYLVAIN GEORGES | FRANCE, SWITZERLAND
- ON THE ADAMANT (SUR L’ADAMANT) | NICOLAS PHILIBERT | FRANCE
- THE SHADOWLESS TOWER (BAI TA ZHI GUANG) | ZHANG LU | CHINA
- A STRANGE PATH (ESTRANHO CAMINHO) | GUTO PARENTE | BRAZIL
- YOUTH (SPRING) | WANG BING | CHINA, FRANCE, LUXEMBOURG, NETHERLANDS
- ALL TO PLAY FOR (RIEN A PERDRE) | DELPHINE DELOGET | FRANCE
- DREAMING & DYING (HAO JIU BU JIAN) | NELSON YEO | SINGAPORE, INDONESIA
- FAMILY PORTRAIT | LUCY KERR | UNITED STATES
- F ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE (BAAVGAI BOLOHSON) | ZOLJARGAL PUREVDASH | MONGOLIA, FRANCE, SWITZERLAND
- LOST COUNTRY | VLADIMIR PERISIC | SERBIA, CROATIA, FRANCE, LUXEMBOURG
- SCRAPPER | CHARLOTTE REGAN | UNITED KINGDOM
- STEPNE | MARYNA VRODA | UKRAINE, GERMANY, POLAND, SLOVAKIA
- TOTEM | LILA AVILÉS | MEXICO, DENMARK, FRANCE
- WHISPERS OF FIRE & WATER | LUBDHAK CHATTERJEE | INDIA
- WHITE PLASTIC SKY (MÜANYAG ÉGBOLT) | TIBOR BÁNÓCZKI, SAROLTA SZABÓ | HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA