The U.S. Embassy in Egypt is once again partnering with El Gouna Film Festival, joined this year through Film Independent.
U.S. Embassy Cairo's Cultural Attache Rachel Leslie expressed in a press statement her happiness over the cooperation with the Film Festival for the third consecutive year.
“I believe that participating in the festival is an opportunity to support the film industry and witness details on ground taking point,” she added.
The U.S. support for the festival includes an industry panel discussion with leading American film executives and producers, as well as sponsor a Cairo Symphony Orchestra’s “Hits of Hollywood” performance at the “Cinema in Concert” event on Wednesday, September 25.
The Embassy and Los Angeles-based Film Independent will also grant two awards valued at $15,000 each for CineGouna Platform’s Springboard Competition: A Spirit Awards Residency in Los Angeles for an Egyptian screenwriter, and a Film Independent Forum Residency in Los Angeles for an Egyptian creative producer.
Moreover, film Independent President Josh Welsh will serve as a jury member for the competition.
Film Independent is the nonprofit arts organization that champions creative independence in visual storytelling and supports a community of artists who embody persity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision.
El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) is scheduled to run from September 19 to 27 at El Gouna Resort-town، in Red Sea governorate.
Many Egyptian, Arab, and Hollywood celebrities are scheduled to attend including Egyptian-Canadian actor, Mena Massoud.
The festival was established to underscore the role film plays in promoting cultural interaction, fostering an awareness of different cinematic voices through encouraging dialogue and by building bridges of creative intellect, according to el Gouna film festival website.
Its goal is to generate opportunities for development and support for all contemporary forms of creative expressions in the MENA region, especially between young generations from the Arab world and their international counterparts.
Moreover, it will present a selection of the newest films from around the globe and host established and emerging filmmakers.
The program will include three competitive sections (Feature Narrative Competition, Feature Documentary Competition, and Short Films Competition) an official selection out of competition and a section devoted to special programs.
It will also give special attention to films with humanitarian content.
In parallel to the screenings, the festival will organize the “CineGouna platform”, which is a creative and business hub designed to support Egyptian and Arab talents; a wide range of meetings will be organized between Arab and international directors, producers, and distributors to enhance business opportunities for the Arab cinema. It will also present round-tables, workshops, panels, and masterclasses.
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