Since its creation, the El Gouna Cinema Festival (GFF) has established itself as one of the major events for Arab cinema. Both an international showcase and work space, it offers filmmakers the opportunity to present their films but also to develop their projects thanks to CineGouna, its dedicated platform. For this 8th edition, which will be held from October 16 to 24, 2025the festival revealed a varied Egyptian selection which reflects several trends: the emergence of young authors who sign their first feature films, the return of directors already noted on the international scene, and the desire to maintain a balance between fiction and documentary.
Mohamed Siam and the transition to fiction
Among the films in competition, My Father’s Scent marks a turning point in Mohamed Siam’s career. The filmmaker became known for his documentaries: Whose Country?selected at IDFA, and Amalpresented at Locarno and awarded in Thessaloniki and at the Carthage Cinematographic Days. In his previous works, he often explored youth, family or power relations through stories anchored in contemporary Egyptian society. With My Father’s Scenthe moves into fiction for the first time, while remaining faithful to his themes: the film depicts a father-son relationship crossed by accumulated grudges and a night of revelations.
The choice of Kamel El Basha, Golden Lion of Venice in 2017 for The Insult by Ziad Doueiriand Ahmed Malek, a young Egyptian actor whose career is taking on an international dimension (Clash of Mohamed Diab, The Furnace by Roderick MacKay), places the film in a desire to cross several generations of performers. The project was spotted in 2021 by CineGouna, which granted it development support. His selection at El Gouna thus completes a journey begun four years ago in the professional framework of the festival.
Mohamed Rashad and an expected first fiction
With The SettlementMohamed Rashad signs his first fiction feature film, after distinguishing himself in the documentary. His film Little Eagles (2016) was noted for its political and intimate approach at the same time, tracing the history of generational activism. The Settlement this time is inspired by a news item: the death of a worker on a construction site, which his children refuse to consider as an accident. The story, conducted like a thriller, confronts the protagonists with a truth that is difficult to establish.
Supported in 2024 by CineGouna, the project quickly found partners in France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The film had its world premiere in Berlin, in the Perspectives section, before arriving in El Gouna. For Mohamed Rashad, this is an important moment: presenting his first fiction film in a major European festival, then showing it in Egypt in a regional framework which also promotes local production.
Yomna Khattab and the filmed autobiography
In the documentary competition, 50 Meters by Yomna Khattab pursues a deeply personal approach. The director films her relationship with her father and the emotional distance that separates them. The title refers to this geographical proximity – barely a few dozen meters – which is not enough to compensate for internal distance. Far from a spectacular story, the film is constructed as an attempt at rapprochement through images.
Presented as a world premiere at CPH:DOX, in the NEXT:WAVE section, 50 Meters is part of a trend in contemporary documentary where the camera becomes a tool for introspection and family repair. The project had been supported by CineGouna since 2021, which testifies to the festival’s early interest in this type of intimate approach, going against the grain of more frontal cinema.
Namir Abdel Messeeh: return after The Virgin, the Copts and me
The second documentary in competition, Life After Siham, is signed by Namir Abdel Messeeh. A Franco-Egyptian filmmaker, he was revealed by The Virgin, the Copts and mepresented in Cannes at the ACID and awarded at the Carthage Festival in 2011. This film already explored family and religious memory, with a staging that was both serious and playful.
With Life After Sihamhe returns to a more intimate subject: the death of his mother and the creative difficulties that result from it. The film, co-produced with France and supported by CineGouna in 2024, was shown this year in Cannes in the ACID section. By retracing his family history through the camera, Abdel Messeeh pursues a unique work on the relationship between personal memory and collective narrative.
Out of competition: a first female film
Outside of competition, El Gouna will host the world premiere of Love Imagined by Sarah Rozik. The director interweaves the journeys of a student, a woman experiencing a romantic breakup and a professor confronted with grief. The film focuses on how love and loss shape ordinary lives.
The role of CineGouna
A common element links four of the films selected in competition: they all benefited from the support of CineGouna, whether in development or post-production assistance. Since its launch, this platform has become a key instrument to support Arab and Egyptian filmmakers, allowing them to find international financing and structure their projects.
The fact that My Father’s Scent, The Settlement, 50 Meters And Life After Siham are now completed and circulating at festivals attests to the effectiveness of this system. This also shows the GFF’s ability to position itself not only as a distribution festival but also as a player in the development of regional cinema.
On this subject, Marianne Khoury, artistic director of the festival, declared:
“We are incredibly proud to announce that four films from our selection, 50 Meters, Life After Siham, My Father’s Scent And The Settlementare all alumni of our flagship CineGouna Funding platform! »
A framework for contemporary Egyptian cinema
The 2025 program confirms one direction: to promote a multiple Egyptian cinema, which is not limited to the dominant popular genres but also explores memory, family, justice and feelings through more personal forms. There we find established filmmakers, like Siam or Abdel Messeeh, authors in transition, like Rashad, and new voices like Rozik.
Commenting on this selection, Andrew Mohsen, head of programming at the GFF, said: “This year’s selection is a powerful testament to the vibrant creativity and diverse voices emerging from Egypt. We are particularly pleased to welcome a world premiere (Love Imagined), alongside films made by both established filmmakers and new authors who are already making a name for themselves on the international scene. It is an honor to celebrate their ability to capture the essence of the human experience. With the opening film by Sarah Gohar, Happy Birthdaywe are delighted to showcase the vitality and diversity of contemporary Egyptian cinema. »
For El Gouna, which will host the opening Happy Birthday by Sarah Gohar, this 8th edition is a way of affirming its central role in the circulation of Arab cinema. The festival aims to be a crossroads between local productions and international networks, between first films and more experienced works.
