El-Gouna Film Festival, WFP, Zest Announce Winner of “Eish” Short Film Competition

In an exclusive event held during the 8th edition of El Gouna Film Festival, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Egypt, in partnership with El Gouna Film Festival (GFF), and Zest announced Ahmed El Hawari as the winner of the second edition of the “Eish” Short Film Competition.

In a meaningful collaboration with WFP in Egypt and Zest, and under the festival’s enduring slogan “Cinema for Humanity,” the “Eish” initiative returned this year, embodying the true essence of that motto. The word “Eish” in Arabic, meaning both “bread” and “life,” reflects the idea that bread is not merely food, it is a symbol of existence itself.

Launched for the first time in 2024 through a collaboration between GFF, WFP Egypt, and Zest, the “Eish” initiative returned in its second edition as an open call for filmmakers from Egypt and the Arab world to explore the concept of food security through film.

Competing films of the 2025 Eish competition were reviewed by a distinguished jury composed of film producer Safei Eldin Mahmoud, Ayten Amin, film director and writer, and Ahmed Magdy, actor and producer. Based on a careful selection process the winner was announced at an exclusive event held during the festival, with a production award for the film concept to be produced throughout the following year.

As part of the event, supported by El Gouna City, a special trailer of the 2024 Eish competition winning film, Khufu, was shown. Directed by Mahmoud Khaled El Assy, the story is a moving portrayal of resilience and family bonds amid the declining health of their camel, their only source of income near the Giza Pyramids.

The opening of this year’s festival coincides with World Food Day, a meaningful alignment that reaffirms cinema’s ability to serve as a platform for advocacy.

On this occasion, Marianne Khoury, Artistic Director of El Gouna Film Festival, stated: “We launch the second edition of ‘Eish’ not merely as a competition, but as an open window onto a reality that needs to be told, and voices that await to be heard. What we believe in at El Gouna, and what unites us with the World Food Programme and Zest, is the conviction that cinema is not a visual luxury, but a force capable of disrupting silence, of turning food insecurity into a story.”

Jean-Pierre de Margerie, WFP Representative and Country Director in Egypt, added: "The 'Eish' Short Film Competition is a creative initiative and a platform that brings the human face of food security into focus. Through our initiative with El Gouna Film Festival, and Zest, we are proud to support a space where filmmakers can explore the deep connection between food, dignity, and resilience. As we celebrate the winning film, we are reminded that storytelling has the power not only to raise awareness, but to inspire action."

Abdallah Dnewar, Head of Zest Specials, stated, “At Zest, we believe that food is at the center of everything in so many ways, and that food can be a powerful medium for storytelling and communicating powerful emotions, memories, and struggles. The Eish initiative is the outlet through which we tell food-centric stories through the lens of cinema. In partnership with the World Food Programme, food security takes center stage. Hosted at the prestigious Gouna Film Festival, a partner in this journey, we’re proud to showcase art that inspires action. This year, we continue our tradition by giving another artist the platform to debut their vision and revisiting last year’s winning film, Khufu.”