[Exclusivo] CinePOP no Egito | Por dentro da 7ª edição do Festival de Cinema de El Gouna from

[Exclusive] CinePOP in Egypt | Inside the 7th El Gouna Film Festival

A look back at the 7th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival

The 7th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) was held from October 14th to 22nd, 2022, and welcomed some of the biggest names in the film industry to the beautiful Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, Egypt. The festival opened with the world premiere of the highly anticipated film "The Swimmers," directed by Sally El Hosaini and starring Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa, Ahmed Malek, and Matthias Schweighöfer. The film tells the true story of two Syrian sisters who fled their war-torn country and swam to Greece in search of a better life. Over the course of nine days, the festival screened 85 films from 41 countries, including 19 world premieres, 12 international premieres, and 10 Middle Eastern premieres. The festival also hosted a number of special events, including workshops, masterclasses, and panels.

Red Carpet at the 7th El Gouna Film Festival

One of the highlights of the festival was the red carpet, which saw some of the biggest names in the Arab film industry in attendance. Among the stars who walked the red carpet were Egyptian actors Ahmed El Sakka, Amr Youssef, and Nelly Karim, as well as Lebanese actress Nadine Nassib Njeim and Syrian actor Maisa Abd El Hadi.

Awards at the 7th El Gouna Film Festival

The Golden Star for Best Film went to "The Blue Elephant 2" by Marwan Hamed, while the Golden Star for Best Director went to Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović for "Murina." The Golden Star for Best Actor went to Amir Jadidi for his role in "No Date, No Signature" and the Golden Star for Best Actress went to Nelly Karim for her role in "Amira." Also, "The Blue Elephant 2" won the Audience Award for Best Arab Film.

The Future of the El Gouna Film Festival

The 7th El Gouna Film Festival was a huge success, and it is clear that the festival is becoming one of the most important events on the international film calendar. Commenting on the festival's success, festival director Intishal Al Timimi said: "We are very proud of the 7th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival. We had a great lineup of films, and we welcomed some of the biggest names in the film industry to El Gouna. We are also very grateful to our sponsors and partners, who helped to make the festival possible." The 8th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival is scheduled to take place from October 13th to 21st, 2023.