The 8th El Gouna Film Festival, scheduled for October 16 to 24, 2025, will host the first feature film by Amel Guellaty, Where the Wind Comes From. The film will have its premiere in the Arab world there, after an already successful international run.
Presented as a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the film quickly won over critics and continued its tour in major events such as Rotterdam and Istanbul. It has been noted everywhere for its mixture of humor and emotion, the accuracy of its performers and the power of its images. The distinctions were not long in coming: Golden Bee for best film at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Malta and prize for best fiction feature film at the Toronto Arab Film Festival.
The specialized press unanimously praised this work. For Varietyit is “ a visually striking film that explores many themes within the simple framework of the road movie “. Cineuropa highlighted “ the portrait of a lost generation seeking to reinvent itself “. THE Hindustan Times spoke of “ a little miracle with a huge heart “, while Fasllah emphasized “ a new and fresh voice of Tunisian cinema », insisting on its originality compared to recent Tunisian films.
It is in this context that the film arrives in El Gouna. When the selection was announced, Amel Guellaty confided her emotion: “ I am deeply honored to present my film at the El Gouna Film Festival, a venue that has supported it from the earliest stages, from development to post-production. To finally be able to share the fruit of several years of work here is a great pride. Bringing this film back to the MENA region has special meaning for me, and I can’t wait to bring it to audiences. »
Where the Wind Comes From tells the story of Alyssa, 19, and Mehdi, 23, two young people who dream of escaping a stifling reality. Discovering a competition offering a chance to start, they embark on a road trip through southern Tunisia. Their journey becomes an initiatory quest, made up of trials, discoveries and revelations about themselves.
Produced by Asma Chiboub for Atlas Vision, the film brings together Slim Baccar, Eya Bellagha, Sondos Belhassen and Lobna Noomane. The photography is by Frida Marzouk, the editing by Amel Guellaty, Ghalya Lacroix and Malek Kammoun, the music composed by Omar Aloulou and the sound by Aymen Labidi. Arab distribution and international sales are entrusted to MAD Distribution.
Born in 1988, Amel Guellaty first trained in law at the Sorbonne before devoting herself to cinema. She started as an assistant on After May by Olivier Assayas and Foreign Body by Raja Amari, before directing in 2017 Black Mambaa short film selected in more than sixty festivals, awarded twenty times, and acquired by Canal+ and the Italian channel RT. In 2022, his second short, Chitanaconfirmed his talent. She has also signed campaigns for Dior, Montblanc and IWC. With Where the Wind Comes Fromher first feature film, she establishes a unique and promising voice in contemporary Arab cinema.
By joining the El Gouna 2025 fiction film competition, the Tunisian film confirms the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers capable of promoting their cinema well beyond their borders, while resonating deeply in their region of origin.
Neila Driss
