After the resounding success of its first edition in 2024, the competition ” Eish “Makes his return to the El Gouna Film Festival, in a renewed and ambitious edition, carried by a fruitful alliance between the Festival, the United Nations World Food Program (PAM) in Egypt, and Zest society. This unique regional initiative again invites the filmmakers of Egypt and the Arab world to propose their projects of short -lived films, with a maximum duration of fifteen minutes, around a crucial but often marginalized theme in the audiovisual landscape: food security.
The word ” Eish In itself carries a double meaning which deeply resonates with the philosophy of the competition. In classical Arabic, it means “living”, while in Egyptian dialect, it designates “bread”. Two senses which, far from opposing, meet in an essential way: because bread is the basis of life. Without bread, it is impossible to live. This simple, direct and polysemic title alone sums up the message that this competition seeks to transmit – that of a vital emergency, a fundamental human right, and a collective fight to be waged.
The deadline for submitting projects was set for August 30, 2025, and the winning project will be unveiled during a special event organized as part of the eighth edition of the Festival, which will be held from October 16 to 24 in El Gouna. This calendar is not trivial: the opening of the festival coincides this year with World Food Day, strengthening the message that cinema and humanitarian commitment can advance hand in hand.
Immediate success and a regional echo
Launched in 2024, the first edition of the competition had aroused immediate enthusiasm, with an impressive number of applications received in a reduced period of time. This success testifies not only to the vitality of the young Arab creation, but also of the emergency felt by the new generations of artists to deal with major societal subjects, starting with that of hunger, inequality in access to food, and food precariousness, which still affects millions of people in the region.
The winning project of the last year, Khufu From the filmmaker Mohamed Khaled Al Assi, perfectly illustrated this will: through the simple and overwhelming history of a family whose economic survival depends on a single that fell ill, the director explored the consequences of acute financial instability, on a domestic scale. A local story, intimate, but carrying a universal echo.
Art to awaken consciences
“” Eish is not just a competition, “recalls Amr Mansi, executive director and co -founder of the El Gouna Film Festival,” It is a call to make art a force of change. For him, this initiative fully embodies the faith of the festival in the power of cinema to develop mentalities, to raise awareness, to provoke dialogues. “We are proud to continue this collaboration with WFP and Zest. It allows Arab filmmakers to tell stories deeply rooted in their reality, and which tackle vital challenges such as food security. »»
This approach is fully shared by the World Food Program, represented in Egypt by Jean-Pierre de Margerie, which underlines the ability of cinema to humanize the most complex challenges. “Access to food is the basis of human dignity, stability and resilience of societies. Cinema has this unique power: it is not content to move, it encourages action. »»
When food becomes a story
If WFP’s commitment appears obvious, the presence of Zest in this partnership may surprise. But for Abdallah Dnewar, director of special programs at Zest and responsible for the competition, this collaboration flows from source. “Zest is a company that places interaction with food at the heart of its activity. The link between food and narration is, in our opinion, fundamental: it allows you to explore the complexity of human experience. By associating ourselves with the GFF and the WFP, we offer creators an unprecedented forum to tell the story of our humanity through what we eat, share or lose. »»
This perspective opens an immense field to filmmakers: questions of shortage to the problems of sustainable agriculture, tensions linked to supply chains with resilience stories in the face of hunger, the competition ” Eish Encourages to treat food security in all its facets, with inventiveness and commitment.
A commitment anchored in the festival mission
The El Gouna Film Festival, since its creation, has established itself as a space for discovery and dialogue, where Arab voices find an international echo. By highlighting cinema as a vector of social conscience, the festival is not content to celebrate creation: it makes it a lever for transformation. Its objective remains unchanged: promote Arabic cinema in all its diversity, promote cultural exchanges, and support the emergence of new talents.
The competition ” Eish »Fits in this line, by combining social commitment, artistic support and regional influence. By placing the theme of food security at the heart of the creative process, it allows filmmakers to tell their world otherwise, their concerns, but also their hope.
Can cinema contribute to food justice? The GFF, WFP and Zest are betting yes. And it is the young Arab filmmakers who, once again, will speak.
Neïla Driss
