As a seasoned movie buff with a penchant for uncovering hidden gems, I must say I am thrilled to see the El Gouna Film Festival back in action for its seventh edition. Having navigated through the tumultuous seas of festival postponements and uncertainty, the resilient Marianne Khoury has managed to steer the ship towards calmer waters, balancing the glitz and glamour with a focus on the festival’s programs.
Following a pause and rescheduling from October to December in 2023 due to the conflict in Gaza, the El Gouna Film Festival is now ready for its seventh run, happening from October 24th to November 1st in the beautiful Egyptian vacation spot.
The delays and ambiguity posed difficulties for Marianne Khoury, who joined as artistic director only a few months before the festival’s sixth installment, succeeding Amir Ramses. “Last year was tough because we had to postpone it three times, but in the end, we managed to put together a very successful event,” Khoury shared with EbMaster.
As a passionate film enthusiast, I’m grateful for having signed up at just the right moment when change was necessary. El Gouna had a powerful start, and its programs were always robust, but the focus of media attention was primarily on the glitz and red carpet events. When I joined the team, my goal was to restore balance and ensure that all programs received fair coverage, not just the glamorous side of things.
This year’s El Gouna Film Festival, one of the most significant in the Middle East and North Africa region, is set to showcase a selection of this year’s top films from various international festivals. Notable inclusions are Coralie Fargeat’s award-winning “The Substance” from Cannes and Pedro Almodóvar’s Golden Lion winner “The Room Next Door.” For Arab cinema enthusiasts, there will be screenings of Nabil Ayouch’s breakout hit “Everybody Loves Touda,” Meryam Joobeur’s Berlinale competitor “Who Do I Belong To,” and “The Brink of Dreams,” which won the Golden Eye Award for best documentary at Cannes’ Critics’ Week.
This year’s Career Achievement Awards are being presented to the esteemed Egyptian producer and director Mahmoud Hemida, who leads the acclaimed production company Al-Batrik, along with Lebanese filmmakers and artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige.
Throughout the past year, we’ve dedicated our efforts to both programming and industry activities. I believe our hard work has paid off, as we’ve managed to create an exceptional lineup. Geographically, it’s well-balanced, given that this is an international festival with a focus on the Arab world. Notably, there are many first-time films, thought-provoking documentaries, and a significant number of movies directed by women.
Nearly achieved gender balance in its film selection this year, as 44% of the total films were directed by women. In the feature category, 12 out of 55 films were either a director’s first or second project.
With an increasing number of festivals in the region thriving, such as Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding Red Sea Film Festival, Khoury underscores the intensifying rivalry for Arab films. “The festivals from the MENA region are becoming fiercely competitive, particularly when it comes to regional premieres. Arab movies are growing scarce. We must consider: what are the undiscovered treasures?
It’s true that competition can make it harder to organize a festival, but for Khoury, it’s a good thing. This is because a greater number of festivals in the MENA region provide more opportunities for filmmakers from this area to showcase their work. Furthermore, the growth of these events also means there are more market platforms and funding bodies available to local talent. In turn, this increased support will help grow the film industry in the coming years.
It’s crucial for Arab filmmakers to have multiple financing options available. Relying on a single source isn’t practical unless a festival aims to control the production process and offers an unusually large sum of money. Programs like CineGouna Funding, Cairo Film Connection, and Atlas Workshops in Marrakech can provide grants of around 15,000 to 20,000 dollars, but multiple such grants are necessary to finance a film. The challenge lies in finding projects that struggle to secure substantial funding and nurturing new talent at festivals like El Gouna, which isn’t an easy task.
In terms of fostering talent in filmmaking, El Gouna places emphasis on cultivating budding filmmakers from the initial stages, particularly those working on their first short movies. This year’s festival is unveiling a fresh segment titled CineGouna Shorts, specifically tailored to champion short films and featuring a competition that offers monetary rewards.
Our philosophy is nurturing budding talent within the film industry, and our dream is to witness upcoming directors gracing prestigious global film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and many others… We firmly believe that this goal is attainable, and it has indeed been achieved, just like ‘The Brink of Dreams’ at Cannes this year. Many young filmmakers typically kick-start their careers with short films.
Khoury, who is currently a leading partner at Misr International Films based in Cairo, a company founded by her esteemed uncle, renowned Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, boasts several decades of expertise within the film industry. Her impressive portfolio includes directing numerous documentaries and overseeing more than 30 Arab films and documentaries. Additionally, she has held the position of artistic director for the Cairo Film Festival during a challenging period following the 2011 uprising at Tahrir Square.
As a cinephile reflecting on my year in El Gouna, I’ve picked up quite a few valuable lessons! One of the most significant is learning the intricacies of organizing events with corporate backing, which was uncharted territory for me before. This year, we were fortunate to welcome new sponsors such as the Drosos and Sawiris Foundations, and I can confidently say that we’ve found creative ways to collaborate by adopting a fresh perspective. While I am known for my tenacity, if I believe in an idea, I won’t rest until it becomes reality. Challenges are what make it all worthwhile!
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2024-10-18 15:47