The third edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) will take place from the 19th till the 27th of September. The entire region is shifting its focus to El Gouna as the festival proved in its previous two editions that it’s one of the most important events that take place in the Middle East. Leaders of the cinema industry from around the region travel to the beautiful Red Sea destination to attend the prestigious festival, not to mention the international superstars who attend as well.
Many don’t know that anyone can actually enjoy the festival without being invited; as you can attend the screenings, the panels, the masterclasses, and more. As the festival is kicking off tomorrow, here’s the ultimate guide for this year’s edition of El Gouna Film Festival.
Throughout the time of the festival, the entire city of El Gouna will be a piece of heaven for everyone who’s passionate about movies. Celebrities walking everywhere, screenings of amazing independent and commercial movies, interesting events taking place everywhere, and important panels and masterclasses for people working or interested to work in the industry.
If you want to attend the screenings that will take place at Marina Theater, Audiomax (TU Berlin), Sea Cinema, or Grand Cinema Hurghada, you can book your ticket from the official website of the festival, or through the mobile application in advance and collect them from the box office. The mobile application is also very useful because you can check out the schedule of the movies, panels, masterclasses, events, and more.
The single ticket is for EGP 50 and the student ticket (with valid student ID) is for EGP 25. While the red carpet screening ticket is for EGP 100 and half that price for the students.
If you’re a hardcore movie junkie you can apply for a Gouna Pass for EGP 750, that gives you four tickets per day, one per screening. If you’re a student you can apply for the student accreditation. On the other hand, if you’re a journalist you can apply for the press accreditation and if you’re a filmmaker you can apply for the Cinegouna Platform accreditation.
Two of the most anticipated movies that will be participating in the festival is “The Knight and the Princess”, Egypt’s first animated feature film featuring Mohamed Heneidy and Donia Samir Ghanem, and “Lama Benetweled”, the debut movie of Amir Eid, also featuring Amr Abed, Mohamed Hatem, and Passant Shawky.
People are also super hyped for the French/Tunisian/Belgium feature film, “Noura’s Dream” starring the leading Arab Icon, Hind Sabry. Two other movies that you shouldn’t miss are the Moroccan/French movie “Adam”, and the Lebanese/American/Norwegian movie “1982”.
Important masterclasses that one shouldn’t miss are, “The Documentary Journey – A Conversation With Mai El Masry”, and “Bringing Reality to Screen – A Conversation With Ferid Boughedir”.
Panel Discussions to put on your radar include “African Cinema: Past, Present, and Future”, “The Role and Impact of Film Festivals”, and “The Art and Science of Financing”.