The press conference for the ninth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival was held today at a Cairo hotel, with the festival set to take place from October 15 to 23, 2026.
The press conference was attended by engineer Samih Sawiris, founder of El Gouna and Chairman of the Festival’s Board of Directors; actress Yousra, a member of the Festival’s International Advisory Board; Mohamed Amer, CEO of El Gouna and Managing Director of Orascom Development Egypt; Amr Mansi, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Festival; and Andrew Mohsen, Artistic Director of the El Gouna Film Festival, alongside a number of filmmakers and producers.
The festival announced that Egyptian actress Mona Zaki will receive the Creative Achievement Award in recognition of her distinguished career and continued contributions to the film industry, as well as the lasting impact of her performances across cinema, television, and theater in Egypt and the wider Middle East.
More Than 80 Films to Feature in the Ninth Edition of the El Gouna Film Festival
More than 80 films from around the world will participate in this year’s festival across the narrative, documentary, and short film categories. The selection brings together a diverse range of perspectives, experiences, and voices for festival audiences.
The festival unveiled the nine feature films selected for the competition: Land of Our Fathers, Three Weeks Later, Our Dream Garden, Rose, Qasatil, A Little Light, All Lovers at Night, For Those Who Dare, and Halima.
Meanwhile, 10 films will compete in the Feature Documentary Competition: The Annoying Bear, Calf Doll, Another Summer Dream, An American Doctor, The Return of Captain Kabonga, Mar Yinka, No Man Cries, Citizen Osama, Who Killed Alex Ouda?, and Whispers in May.
The Short Film Competition will feature 13 films: City of Owls, Communication, Confusion, I Broke a Vase, Kalgan Horse, The Malicious, Gaza Kentucky, Laser Cat, Nobody Knows the World, Oh, Youth!, One Day He Was Born, and Stolen Memories.
The festival also revealed its Out-of-Competition selection, including Suddenly, Dear Ajay, Dua, The Strait, The Guest, Listen, Heat, Hold Me, Hope, Mouyi, Queen of the Sea, Rahma, War on Women, What Remains, Yellow Letters, and Dolphins: Close Encounters.
Highlights of the Festival’s Talks: Mona Zaki, Yousry Nasrallah, and a Special Tribute to Mohamed Khan
The ninth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival will feature a series of panel discussions and talks, including a conversation with Mona Zaki held on the occasion of her honor at this year’s festival. The session will explore the craft of acting, career choices, risks, and the transformations that have shaped her decades-long career, as well as some of the key challenges she has faced throughout her artistic journey.
The festival will also host a conversation with director Yousry Nasrallah, focusing on his decades-spanning career, creative freedom, artistic collaborations, and his ongoing search for the visual language required by each film.
The ninth edition will also pay tribute to the late acclaimed director Mohamed Khan through a panel titled The Unconventional Hero: Men in Mohamed Khan’s Cinema. The discussion will examine Khan’s use of imperfect male characters to challenge conventional representations of masculinity, while exploring the social and economic circumstances they experienced.
