Egypt’s GFF to kick off one month after initial due date on Oct.23

CAIRO – 29 June 2020: Egypt’s El-Gouna Film Festival announced that the fourth edition will run from October 23 to 31 instead of September 24 to October 2.

The festival program will be announced by the end of September 2020.

This decision came in response to the challenging circumstances that all the international film festivals are facing because of COVID-19 and with the intention to deliver a safe festival experience to its guests and audiences.

"Several film festivals have been impacted by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and their return to the scene will send a positive signal that the world is on its way to normalcy. At GFF, we choose to live in this hope and positivity and continue our commitment to make a contribution to the development of cinema internationally and in the region and to ensure a safe yet enjoyable experience for all participants," GFF Director Intishal al-Tamimi stated.

One of the main highlights of the fourth edition is that the festival will be the first public event hosted at the site of Gouna Conference and Culture Centre (GCCC), which features an architectural design spanning over an 8000-square-meter-wide open space, providing a unique and spacious atmosphere for a new cultural and cinematic experience.

According to the governmental regulations at the time of holding the festival, the festival will explore possibilities of utilizing indoor and outdoor spaces as well as online activities, especially those that are related to CineGouna Platform, in order to offer a productive festival experience.

“We are in constant dialogue with the key industry players and other international film festivals to study how film festivals may adapt to the current situation and continue to play their roles in developing the industry regionally and internationally. Our team participated in the virtual Marche du Film, not only to meet sales agents and producers to source their films, but also to study the experience of a digital-only film market. Furthermore, the members of the team will be attending the fall festivals to bring to the region the best and newest crop of films,” Co-founder and COO of the festival Bushra Rozza commented.
GFF management announced that it will, however, first and foremost, ensure the safety and comfort of its participants and audiences by putting in place all necessary measures recommended by the health authorities.
The programming team has been busy at work since the beginning of the year tracking, soliciting, and previewing films for this new edition. Currently more than 800 projects in development and films in post-production have been submitted to GFF.
El-Gouna Film Festival previously announced that the submission deadline for projects in development of the fourth edition of CineGouna SpringBoard has been extended.

The festival extended the submission deadline to give candidates a chance to submit their works until June 25, 2020. As for the applicants with films in the post-production stage, the deadline for submission is July 10, 2020.

The entry form and full information regarding eligibility for submission can be found on the festival’s website: www.elgounafilmfestival.com. The final results will be announced on August 1, 2020.

Accepted projects will be reviewed by a committee of experts appointed by GFF, and selected on the basis of their content, artistic vision, and overall financial feasibility.

The best project in development and film in post-production will each receive a cash award of US $15,000 and a CineGouna Platform certificate.

In addition, participating projects stand to win other grants funded by GFF’s partners and sponsors.

Over US $240,000 were awarded to the winning projects at the third edition of CineGouna SprinBoard.

It is worth mentioning that the 26th Palm Springs International ShortFest selected five of GFF 2019’s line-up including all four El-Gouna Star winners: "Exam" by Sonia K. Hadad, winner of El-Gouna Golden Star for Short Film; "Ome" by Wassim Geagea, winner of El-Gouna Silver Star for Short Film; "Flesh" by Camila Kater, winner of El-Gouna Bronze Star for Short Film; and "Give up the Ghost" by Zain Duraie, winner of El-Gouna Star for Best Arab Short Film; to compete for the ShortFest’s 2020 edition. The list also features "All Inclusive" by Teemu Nikki.

The Palm Springs International ShortFest is the largest film festival for short films in the United States.