The El Gouna Film Festival passed its midpoint on Monday, October 19. The day mixed forums, panels, and screenings at Festival Plaza with two evening red carpets. An Egyptian documentary about masculinity opened the night. Then came No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman, Iraq’s official Oscar submission. Together, the two films offered very different portraits of strength.
Daytime at Festival Plaza
The CineGouna Forum filled the daytime schedule. Cinematographer Lukas Ettlin gave a masterclass on Monday, according to the festival guide. The CineGouna Forum filled the daytime schedule. Cinematographer Lukas Ettlin gave a masterclass on Monday, according to the festival guide. The awareness campaign CUT. by El Gouna Film Festival and the Egyptian Syndicate of Acting Professions, in collaboration with Meta. Also, the festival hosted a panel titled “Women in Mohamed Khan’s Cinema” featuring Laila Eloui, Hana Shiha, and Dina Farouk, with Mai Telmsany moderating the discussion as part of the festival’s ninth edition. Meanwhile, screenings ran across the festival’s cinemas.
Red Carpet One: Big Boys Don’t Cry
Festival Plaza welcomed Big Boys Don’t Cry with a red carpet. Mohamed Mostafa directed the Egyptian documentary, which competes in the Feature Documentary Competition. Cairo Scene describes it as a long-term project about masculinity and weightlifting culture in Egypt.
The film joins two other Egyptian documentaries in this year’s lineup. The Return of Captain Kabonga premiered on Saturday. Both look at male identity through the physical worlds of wrestling and weightlifting. As a result, the competition offers a distinctive conversation about masculinity in Egypt today.
Red Carpet Two: No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman
The second red carpet welcomed No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman. Norwegian-Kurdish director Halkawt Mustafa wrote and directed the Kurdish-language thriller. It runs 110 minutes. Notably, Iraq selected it unanimously as its official submission for the 2027 Oscars.
Avan Jamal stars as Vyan, a Kurdish Peshmerga sniper who has survived war by suppressing her emotions. Years after the 2014 ISIS assault on Mosul, she learns her younger sister may still be alive. Then she returns to the city to rescue her. Norwegian actor Thorbjørn Harr plays a central role, and Kanar Sarchl and Kader Jalal complete the main cast.
The film grew out of Mustafa’s conversations with Kurdish women who fought ISIS. It is also inspired by the courage of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad. The team shot on location in Mosul, using the city’s real streets. It had its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 7. Cineuropa called it hard-hitting and action-packed, yet humanitarian. The film is a co-production between Norway, Iraq, the UAE, and Sweden.
Strength in Two Registers
The evening’s pairing was striking. Big Boys Don’t Cry looks at male strength as a performance shaped by gym culture and social expectation. By contrast, No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman centres a woman whose strength comes from survival. Yet both films ask what strength costs. In addition, they remind audiences how wide the festival’s lineup runs, from intimate documentary to genre cinema.
What’s Next
Tuesday, October 20, brings Yousry Nasrallah’s masterclass, A Cinema of Reinvention, at 3 PM. In the evening, the guide lists red carpets for Safe Exit and Spring in Imroz. On Wednesday, the festival hosts the impact campaign session for The Voice of Hind Rajab and a masterclass by Joanna Hogg. Friday, October 23, brings the closing day.
