7 Egyptian Films to Be Screened at 5th El Gouna Film Festival

The El Gouna film festival (GFF), one of the leading film festivals in the MENA region, announced Wednesday that seven Egyptian films will be screened during the festival’s upcoming 5th edition, the largest number since its inception.

The festival is scheduled to take place from October 14 to 22 at El Gouna Resort-town in Red Sea governorate.

The festival renewed its pledge to nurture and support the art of cinema in the Middle East and beyond for the fifth year in a row. The new edition will follow the same approach that has been adopted in the past four years by the festival team.

Here’s the full lineup:

Feathers/ Feature Narrative Competition

Directed by: Omar El Zohairy

The 2021 Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prix and FIPRESCI Award winner revolves around Sami, an authoritative Egyptian father, who was turned into a chicken by a magician’s trick at his 6-year-old’s birthday party.

Amira/ Feature Narrative Competition

Directed by: Mohamed Diab

Starring Saba Mubarak, Ali Suleiman, and Tara Abboud, the film follows Amira, a bubbly 17-year-old who has grown up believing she was conceived with the smuggled sperm of her imprisoned father. Her sense of identity is shattered when she discovers he is infertile.

Captains of Za’atari/ Feature Documentary Competition

Directed by: Ali El Arabi

Winner of three awards at the 2019 CineGouna Platform this documentary centers around Mahmoud and Fawzi, who have been living in the Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan for five years. When Aspire Academy arrives at Za’atari to pick players for an international soccer tournament, the two friends get the opportunity of their lifetime.

Back Home/ Feature Documentary Competition

Directed by: Sara Shazli

The movie tells the story of Sara, who after living abroad for ten years, finds herself stuck in her childhood home with her parents, due to the coronavirus pandemic. As they spend months together in lockdown, Sara feels the need to capture the precious moments spent with her father on film. For the first time, Sara’s return to Egypt feels right.

Kadiga/ Short Film Competition

Directed by: Morad Mostafa

It revolves around Khadiga, a young mother living alone with her baby, after her husband left to work in a remote city. On an ordinary day, she walks the streets of Cairo to make a few visits where she feels uncomfortable with the surroundings.

Cai-Ber/ Short Film Competition

Directed by: Ahmed Abd El Salam

The movie centered around Nour, 29, who secretly arranges to flee her homeland after numerous failed attempts to escape the status quo of her generation’s depression.

Full Moon/ Official Selection out of Competition

Directed by: Hadi El Bagoury

The movie features a star-studded cast that includes Khaled El Nabawy, Shereen Reda, Ghada Adel, Ahmed El Fishawy, Yasmin Raeis, Ahmed Malek, Ahmed Hatem, Asmaa Abulyazeid, May El Ghety, and Khaled Anwar.

It takes place on a lunar night where the societal beliefs that kill love are unveiled through five different love stories.