GFF screens Arab movies participating at VIFF

CAIRO – 11 August 2018: A selection of the Arab movies screened at Venice International Film Festival will also screen at the second edition of El Gouna Film Festival, slated for next September in Hurgada's El Gouna.

El Gouna Film Festival will see the first international debut of the Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s "Sheikh's Watermelons."

"Screwdriver" by Palestinian director Bassam Jarbawi, which is nominated to take part at the Venice Days' section, will be gracing the El Gouna Film Festival's screen alongside Syrian Soudade Kaadan's "The Day I Lost My shadow," which is set to partake in the festival's Horizons Competition.

Along with "The Day I Lost My Shadow," and "Tel Aviv on Fire" by the Palestinian director Sameh Zoabi who also participates in the same competition.
It is noteworthy that the 75th edition of the Venice International Film Festival, slated to take place from Aug. 29 to Sept. 8, will expectedly witness a strong Arab presence, with seven movies taking part at the festival’s different categories.

Along with Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, Egyptian film producer and director Mohamed Hefzy were also named as jury members of the festival’s the Horizons Section and the lion of the Future - “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for Best Debut Film.

Amongst the Venice Critics week's line-up are the Syrian co-directed "Still Recording" by Saeed Al Batal and Ghiath Ayoub; the Sudan-produced "A Kasha" by Hajooj Kuka; and “Dashra” by Tunisian director Abdelhamid Bouchnak will be screened as the closing movie of the competition.

“The Wedding Singer’s Daughter” by Saudi director Haifaa Al-Mansour will get a special screening at the prestigious festival.