Mena Massoud to Arrive in Cairo within Hours

Egyptian-Canadian actor, Mena Massoud is set to arrive today, Wednesday, in Cairo within hours.

The 28-year-old actor will visit a number of archaeological sites in Cairo, before making his way on Thursday to El Gouna resort, in Red Sea governorate, to participate in the third edition of El-Gouna Film Festival (GFF).

This year's edition will run from September 19 to 27, at Egypt's resort town.

Mena has confirmed his attendance in a video posted on the festival’s official “Facebook “page.

“Hey, my name is Mena Massoud, and I just wanted to confirm my participation in El Gouna Film Festival this year, in September 2019, I’m going to be there, and I think it’s going to be a fantastic festival , so cannot wait,” the actor said in the video.

Massoud is an actor of Egyptian origin, born on September 17, 1991, in Cairo to Egyptian parents before traveling to Canada.

He co-starred recently as Aladdin in the live-action of Disney’s 1992 animated film “Aladdin”.

Massoud launched his career as a professional actor in 2011 when he appeared briefly in episodes of the television series "Nikita" and "Combat Hospital".

He also starred as Jared Malik in the 2015 series "Open Heart", and Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime series "Jack Ryan".

Over the past editions of the festival, many global celebrities and film industry experts had participated in the festival including Hollywood legend, Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe award winner Sylvester Stallone, Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, American actor, scriptwriter, and producer Owen Wilson, and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ heartthrob Patrick Dempsey.

The opening ceremony will witness many surprises, including those who will present it, which includes four artists, including Egyptian actor Karim Kassem, and Turkish-Egyptian descent actress Rosaline Elbay.

It was established on September 22, 2017, to underscore the role cinema plays in promoting cultural interaction and to highlight the awareness of different cinematic voices through encouraging dialogue and by building bridges of creative intellect.

The festival will present a selection of the newest films from around the globe and host established and emerging filmmakers.