In just three days, and after a year of absence, the El Gouna film festival will be back in its 6th edition which will take place from October 13 to 20, 2023.
As usual, Tunisians are well represented at this major cinematic event.
We can already note that in recent years, in reality since the first edition, two eminent Tunisian members have been sitting within the International Advisory Council (International Advisory Board) of the festival: actress Hend Sabry and the producer and distributor Tarak Ben Ammar.
Regarding this year’s programming, it should be noted that unfortunately only a Tunisian cinematographic work will be in competition, namely the documentary feature film Machtat,, Directed by Sonia Ben Slama. The synopsis of the film immerses us in the atmosphere of Mahdia, Tunisia, where Fatma and his daughters, Najeh and Waffeh, exercise the profession of “machtat”, traditional musicians who animate wedding ceremonies. Their music evokes love and its promises, but reality is much more complex and painful. Machtat is Sonia Ben Slama’s second film, and was previously selected in the ACID section of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festivalwhere he was greeted by complimentary criticism.
In The Cinegouna Springboard sectionwe find a member of the Tunisian jury, producer Habib Attia, as well as four selected film projects, promising a bright future for Tunisian cinema:
Two film feature films for development feature films:
- Girl of Wind by Moufida Fedhila
- Yammi from Hinde Boujemaa
Two post-production films:
- A fiction feature film: Tunis Djerba of Amel Guellaty
- A documentary feature: Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart Hind Meddeb
We can notice that the four selected projects are carried out by women!
The Cinegouna Bridge section also has a captivating conversation, moderate by Marianne Khourywith actress and producer Hend Sabry. This talented artist, who raised more than 30 prizes for the best actress both at regional and global level, will share her impressive journey, which extends over more than 25 years. She won her first best actress prize at the age of 15 at JCC 1994 for her role in the film The Silences of the Palace by Moufida Tlatli. In 2019, she was honored with three best actress prizes for her performance in the Tunisian film Noura Dream Directed by Hinde Boujemaa: at the El Gouna festival where the film had made its first,, at the JCC, where the same film had also won the Tanit d’Or, And finally the price of best Arab actress of the year at Critics Awards for Arab Films. Hend Sabry also won five Best Actress prizes for her exceptional role in the Egyptian film Asmaa (2011) Directed Amr Salama. Among his other acclaimed works are Kira w al gen (2022) the most profitable Egyptian film of all time, as well as Blue Elephant 2 (2019), the second most profitable Egyptian film. More recently, Hend embarked on production and management, bringing the original Netflix series to life Ola is looking for her way (2022), The most trendy Arab series in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2023, Hend also played in the new film by Kaouthar Ben Hania, Olffa’s girlswho made his debut at the Cannes festival in official competition and where He won four prizes. In 2017, Hend Sabry received the Prix de l’America Abroad Media for her entire career and in 2019, she was the first Arab woman to be part of the Venice Mostra Jury, the oldest film festival in the world.
The distributor, producer and manager of Cinémadart Kais Zaied, will participate in the panel “10 years of independent cinemas and creation of communities”.
At this point, this is what we know about Tunisian participation in the festival. It is very likely that other Tunisian filmmakers are present in different sections of the festival, especially during the round tables organized as part of the Cinegouna Bridge. Who knows, maybe we will also see a member of the Tunisian jury in the various competitions? It is also obvious that cinema professionals will be among the guests of the festival and will also be present on the red carpet, such as the young Tunisian actress, Aicha Ben Ahmed, who has already announced her presence.
Stay on the lookout to discover all the surprises that the El Gouna Film Festival reserves this year!
Neïla Driss
