The El Gouna Film Festival entered its third day on Saturday, October 17. The morning began with the Actor’s Choice panel, forums, and screenings. In the evening, a world premiere and red carpet followed at Festival Plaza. Meanwhile, the Eish initiative returned to the spotlight, with actress Enjy Kiwan supporting its food-security message.
A Morning of Panels and Screenings
Festival Plaza and the CineGouna Forum filled early. At 10:30 AM, the CineGouna Theater hosted The Actor’s Choice: Who Gets to Shape a Performance? Journalist Nesrine Talaat moderated. Amina Khalil, Salma Abu Deif, Amir Al Masry, Yasmina El Abd and Aseel Omran took part. Together, they discussed how actors, directors and audiences each influence a role.
Screenings ran alongside the talks across the festival’s cinemas. In the afternoon, Gender of the Box Office was scheduled at 3 PM. Youssra, Laila Eloui, Inas El Deghedy, and Mariam Abou Ouf joined, with Alaa Karkouti moderating.
Premiere: The Return of Captain Kabonga
At 7 PM, Festival Plaza hosted the world premiere of The Return of Captain Kabonga. Egyptian filmmaker Amir El Shennawy directed the documentary, which competes in the Feature Documentary Competition. A red carpet welcomed the team.
The film follows veteran street wrestler Ashraf “Kabonga” Mahrous in Ismailia. He tries to revive WWE-inspired wrestling shows with a group of local amateurs. At the same time, he struggles to support his family as Egypt faces economic pressure. Ahmed Abdelsalam produced it, and it is an Egypt-Saudi co-production.
The project has a clear festival path. It received support from AFAC and won cash and in-kind post-production awards at CineGouna Funding in 2025. As a result, its premiere marks a return to the platform that helped finish it.
Eish: Jewelry, Cinema and Food Security
The Eish initiative put cinema to work for a cause on Saturday. Eish is the Arabic word for both bread and life. The festival runs a short-film competition under that name with the World Food Programme. It funds a film that addresses food security. According to the festival, it returns this year for another edition.
This year, the partnership added a creative element. WFP Egypt teamed up with Enjy Kiwan and Egyptian designer Karim Mekhtigian. Together, they created a bespoke piece inspired by the wheat stalks in the WFP logo. It was unveiled at the opening ceremony, and Kiwan wore it on the red carpet. After the festival, the piece will be auctioned. The proceeds will support WFP projects for vulnerable communities in Egypt.
WFP representative Rod El-Halaby said the partners used their talent and platforms to bring food security to new audiences. Kiwan said cinema and culture help people connect with realities beyond their own. The designer described the piece as an expression of empowerment and resilience. Notably, all three partners contributed their time and resources on a voluntary basis.
What’s Next
To mention a few of the highlights on Sunday: The Unlikely Hero, a panel on the cinema of Mohamed Khan, at 1 PM. Also, the premiere of Danielle Arbid’s Only Rebels Win at 7 PM. Last but not least, the premiere of Boomah at 9:45 PM. El Gouna Film Festival runs until October 23.
