Surely anyone who puts their heart and soul behind a passion project, only to see it flourish over the years, has had an interesting journey on the road to success. Five years since its inception, Gouna Film Festival has taken on a life of its own, and Co-Founder and GM Kamal Zadeh tells us a bit about GFF from his perspective.

Does the film industry have a special place in your heart?

Yes, of course. The film industry holds a very big place in my heart because I was born into a family that loves cinema, especially black and white movies, as my grandma was Egypt’s number one superstar, Shadia. Other than the fact that I inherited a love of cinema from her, what she has done gave cinema in the region a new taste that is unexplainable yet impeccable! Kamal Zadeh

Why is it so important to support cultural events of all types in Egypt, across diverse platforms?

It is very important because Egypt has always been the land that adopted diverse cultures from around the world, and these days, all generations are very interested to learn about different cultures more than before; I think that’s what different social media platforms have done. It made it easy for people to see and learn, which made it easier for others to deliver. Kamal Zadeh

What should we look forward to the most this year?

Why don’t we keep it as a surprise and see instead of giving away spoilers! Kamal Zadeh

Looking back over the past 4 annual editions of GFF, what memories still stand out as being particularly special to you?

That the whole thing started as a pasta restaurant. How Bushra and I got from opening a pasta place to a film festival is still so crazy to me. Also, no matter how experienced you think you are, you are still learning something new every year, if not every day!

To commemorate the 25^th anniversary of Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski’s passing, the 5^th edition of GFF will host an exhibition showcasing the life and works of the legendary director. Curated by celebrated production designer and art director Onsi Abou Seif, the Krzysztof Kieślowski Retrospective Exhibition is set to be presented through a cinematic lens that brings the displayed works to life.

The exhibition will feature 23 framed posters from the Film Museum in Łódź, all inspired by Kieślowski’s films. Additionally, it will incorporate original material from the film archive Cinematek, featuring 50 photos including posters from Kieślowski’s iconic films, their filming locations, the filming process, and of Krzysztof Kieślowski himself.

A highlight of the exhibition will be the screening, in loop, of a documentary film that doubles as a mosaic of the late director’s life, thoughts, and filmography, titled Krzysztof Kieślowski – I’m So-So, directed by Krzysztof Wierzbicki. There will also be an associated masterclass, Conversation with Zbigniew Zamachowski, in which the renowned film and theatre actor, will talk about his experience working with Kieślowski on Three Colors: White.

Recognized as one of the greatest film directors of our time, Kieślowski directed a remarkable number of films and documentaries in his relatively short lifetime, before dying at the age of 54 of a heart-attack. A source of inspiration to many in the industry, he gained international recognition and commercial success in the period from 1990 to 1994, whereas his early years in the industry began with documentaries, many of which portrayed life in his native Poland.

Kieślowski attended Łódź Film School until 1968 and was able to travel around Poland for his documentary research and filming, a freedom not afforded to most civilians. Although not always overtly political, Kieślowski’s observational documentary work often irked the authorities, bringing them into direct confrontation.

Disheartened by the challenges in depicting reality through his documentaries, he decided that, “Fiction not only allowed more artistic freedom but could portray everyday life more truthfully”. This led to his following film work, continuing with his focus on the injustices and constraints of the authoritarian and repressive society he lived in. Again, he was faced with censure and heavy handed treatment, with many of his works being blocked or subjected to enforced re-shooting and re-editing.

Nonetheless, his talent was widely recognized, garnering him accolades and numerous awards, including the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize (1988), FIPRESCI Prize (1988, 1991), and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (1991); the Venice Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize (1989), Golden Lion (1993), and OCIC Award (1993); and the Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear (1994). In 1995, he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Writing.

Kieślowski announced his retirement from filmmaking after the premiere of his last film Red at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

Special Presentations:

Dekalog: Thou Shalt Not Kill

Krzysztof Kieślowski | Poland, Germany | 1988 | Polish | 84 min

Jacek, an angry drifter, murders a taxi driver, brutally and without motive. His case is assigned to Piotr, an idealistic young lawyer who is morally opposed to the death penalty. Their interactions take on an emotional honesty that throws the injustice of killing of any into stark disbelief for Piotr. The film won both the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Best Film Award at the 1998 European Film Awards.

The Double Life of Véronique

Krzysztof Kieślowski | France, Poland, Norway | 1991 | French, Polish | 98 min

Veronika is a choir soprano living in Poland, Véronique is a music teacher living in France. Though unknown to each other, the two women share an enigmatic, emotional bond. Veronika starts a job in a music school, works hard, but collapses and dies during her first performance. At this point, Véronique’s life seems to take a turn. The film won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, and the Best Actress Award for Irene Jacob.

Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So

Krzysztof Wierzbicki | Denmark | 1995 | Polish | 56 min

Shot in 1995, I’m So-So uses interviews and brief film clips to explore the life of renowned Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, who had just announced his decision to retire from making films. Among the specialists who analyze Kieślowski are a priest, a policeman, and a clairvoyant. Kieślowski himself reminisces too, on being bullied by his father and pursuing film direction as a path to stage directing. Filmed 10 months before his death, this film offers a rare glimpse into the mind of the late Kieślowski.

Three Colors: Blue

Krzysztof Kieślowski | France, Poland, Switzerland | 1993 | French | 100 min

Julie loses her composer husband and their child in a car crash. She tries to make a new start, away from her country house and a would-be lover. But music still surrounds her and she uncovers unpleasant facts about her husband’s life. Slowly, Julie learns to live again, as music and the gift to create it prove to be a healing force. The film received the Golden Lion and Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 1993 Venice Film Festival.

Three Colors: Red

Krzysztof Kieślowski | France, Poland, Switzerland | 1994 | French | 96 min

Part-time model Valentine’s life dramatically intersects with that of a bitter retired judge when she rescues his dog from a car accident. Their initially fiery relationship mellows into a close friendship and leads them to form a strange bond. Three Colors: Red was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Director for Kieślowski.

Three Colors: White

Krzysztof Kieślowski | France, Poland, Switzerland | 1994 | French, Polish | 91 min

Karol, a Polish hairdresser, is divorced by his beautiful French wife Dominique and thrown onto the streets of Paris, with no money and no passport. All seems lost until he meets a fellow Pole, who ingeniously smuggles Karol back to Warsaw in a suitcase. Once there, Karol is determined to take revenge against his ex-wife, but he hasn’t counted on love getting in the way of his perfect plan.

Wearing two hats, Amir Ramses is both writer and director of the selected Egyptian film entry for CIFF (Cairo International Film Festival 2020). We tore this talented man away from his other role, that of the artistic director of El Gouna Film Festival, to learn more about his film. Amir Ramses

By Aliaa Elsherbini

How has El Gouna Film Festival honed its approach in terms of film selection?

El Gouna Film Festival has made it its annual quest to carefully curate quality cinematic works as well as highlight captivating emerging and established talents in order to showcase their works with our audience of filmmakers, industry experts, and cinephiles.

For GFF’s upcoming 5th edition, we kept this same vigor and thirst for world-class films, which culminated in a festival program that comprises 75 films. With a focus on quality over quantity, GFF continues to refine the Egyptian cinematic sphere in innovative ways, as it leads the vanguard of change in film in the MENA region.

GFF also focuses on underscoring the mark film leaves across social communities as well as the filmmaking one. Under the umbrella of its championed cause of Cinema for Humanity, GFF has been doling out its Cinema for Humanity Audience Award, which highlights films that exemplify humanitarian themes as well as those that aid us in remembering what life is truly about. Amir Ramses

In addition to this, GFF has also meticulously supported multiple artistic and humanitarian causes through the activities of its industry arm, CineGouna Platform, which aims to support and empower Arab and Egyptian filmmakers through artistic mentorships and opportunities for financial assistance.

CGP also includes yearly discussions and thought-provoking panels, which included timely, highly complex topics such as: Women Empowerment Through Film, which highlights the importance of female representation and telling the stories of women through the film medium.

For our 5th edition, El Gouna Film Festival will maintain and innovate these factors that represent its core theme.

What are the new additions that El Gouna Film Festival is employing for its 5th edition?

This year, we will steadily maintain the attributes that culminate in its theme of Cinema for Humanity through its film program as well as through the inauguration of its very own environmental award, El Gouna Green Star. Amir Ramses

El Gouna Green Star came into being after one fruitful post-screening seminar during the 4th edition of GFF. Integrated into GFF’s annual program, this award will highlight films, across all sections, that share knowledge or raise awareness on issues relating to the environment as well as issues that relate to ecology or wildlife. It will also be considering films that tackle sustainability and its importance.

It’s notable that one of the films eligible for El Gouna Green Star Award, Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava, Lebanon, has received Toronto International Film Festival’s NETPAC Award, which makes us look forward even more to this upcoming edition.

Through this award, El Gouna Film Festival hopes to inspire thought-provoking dialogue regarding the prevalent yet undiscussed environmental issues plaguing our communities.

How does El Gouna Film Festival plan to develop in future editions?

With every new edition, El Gouna Film Festival plans to surpass the editions that came before through a dynamic artistic program, appealing panels, and unique activities that turn each edition of GFF into an experience of its own.

In the realm of film that engages human sensibilities as well as satiating our audience’s cinematic palate, GFF constantly revitalizing its tenets with new additions that aid it in realizing its main mission of celebrating life and influencing it as positively as it can—a mission it will continually keep upholding.

This year, GFF has invigorated its assets through El Gouna Green Star Award and a diverse program that handpicked the finest films that international and regional cinema had to offer. Amir Ramses

For the upcoming editions, we hope to carry on with the same stamina and artistic integrity to integrate even more inspiring elements that will create a memorable experience for our attendees.

CineGouna SpringBoard is a project development and co-production lab that nurtures up-and-coming talent by finding opportunities of creative and financial support for Arab film directors and producers with projects in development or films in post-production.

For its 5^th edition, CineGouna SpringBoard received submissions from all parts of the Arab world. A panel of experts reviewed the submissions and made a selection of 13 projects in development, of which 8 are narratives and 5 are documentaries, in addition to 6 films in post-production (2 narratives and 4 documentaries).

Provided with a unique opportunity, the directors and producers of the selected projects listed below will present their projects and works in progress to producers, funding agencies, distributors, sales agents, and festival programmers to receive constructive feedback.

In addition, private meetings with experts and mentors are scheduled for the filmmakers to help them fine-tune their scripts or rough cuts, with the aim of improving their chances of regional and international cooperation. All selected projects in development and films in post-production will compete for awards to be decided by a jury of industry experts.

The best project in development and film in post-production will receive a CineGouna Platform certificate and a cash prize of US $15,000 each. Additional awards and cash prizes are presented through partnerships with local and regional institutions.

Assessed on the basis of their content, artistic vision, and overall financial feasibility, the final list of the selected projects and their directors, representing 8 Arab countries, is as follows:

Projects in Development:

Feature Narrative:

Agora by Ala Eddine Slim – Tunisia

Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore by Morad Mostafa – Egypt

The Blind Ferryman – Al Baseer by Ali Al-Fatlawi – Iraq, Switzerland

Happy Lovers by Hicham Lasri – Morocco, France

My Father’s Scent by Mohamed Siam – Egypt

A Quarter to Thursday in Algiers by Sofia Djama – France

Sink by Zain Duraie – Jordan, Sweden, Canada

Weedestine by Said Zagha – Jordan, Palestine

Feature Documentary:

Fifty Meters by Yomna Khattab – Egypt

My Father Killed Bourguiba by Fatma Riahi – Tunisia

Searching for Woody by Sara Shazli – Egypt

A Song for Summer and Winter by Ali Wajeeh, Talal Derki – Syria, Denmark, United States, Germany

Women of My Life by Zahraa Ghandour – Iraq, Swaziland

Films in Post-Production:

Feature Narrative:

Hanging Gardens by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji – Iraq, United Kingdom, Palestine

Haysh Maysh: False Drama by Hicham Lasri – Morocco

Feature Documentary:

Abo Zabaal 1989 by Bassem Mortada – Egypt, Germany

Hyphen by Reine Razzouk – Lebanon

Nothing About My Mother by Salem Trabelsi, Latifa Doghri – Tunisia

They Planted Strange Trees by Hind Shoufani – Palestine

Guest Film in Post-Production:

Feature Narrative:

Under the Fig Trees by Erige Sehiri – Tunisia, Switzerland, France

Taking a moment to chat with Cairo West, Festival Director of Gouna Film Festival Intishal Al Timimi gives us the lowdown on the 5^th edition of the eagerly awaited cinematic event.

By Aliaa Elsherbini

One year has passed since we last met to chat about the ongoing evolution of El Gouna Film Festival. Looking back over the past 12 months, what have been the major challenges you have faced in order to launch the 5^th edition of GFF?

Sustainability is the first concept that springs to mind when we talk about the five consecutive years of GFF. Many cultural events in the Arab world have found it difficult to thrive in the challenging conditions the region has been faced with.

In terms of international cinematic interest, the Arab world is not that an attractive market and, in fact, represents only a small percentage of it, adding to that the difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed, such as restrictions on movement and travel. At GFF, however, we are determined to overcome all hurdles. So, it is exceptional to witness the growth and survival of a film festival in the region. Intishal Al Timimi

Over its first four years, I believe that GFF was able to establish itself and make a mark in the Arab world. An essential part of any film festival is its ability to progress and improve the quality of experience it offers, and this is what GFF sought and achieved, by maintaining its vision and focus. Our diligence in maintaining this same spirit of innovation and spontaneity is the reason behind our sustained success.

How important has it been to have a cohesive, consistent team managing the process?

As we reach GFF’s 5^th edition, credit must go to our growing organizational capability as well as our much more experienced team. We have maintained our passion and drive and gained momentum since the inaugural edition. Our growing organizational capacity is supported by the capabilities of our team, which has been gaining experience and knowledge since we began.

Yet another factor is the diversity of backgrounds combined with the unity of purpose of the GFF team. Everyone, including myself, Amir Ramses, and Bushra Rozza. Through this diversity of background, many points of view are expressed and taken into account, building a unity of purpose that translates into an uncompromising focus on the fresh, innovative, and creative cinematic voices from the region and, indeed, all parts of the world.

What attributes and strengths do you feel that the team members bring to the table?

The core of our operation is a strong system. For us, this concept of order is achieved through several factors. It provides easy access to the information, knowledge and data for all members of the team, which prepares and enables them to handle all kinds of situations that can arise during planning and execution.

We have great cooperation and an inclusive ethos among our team members, making everyone feel part of the festival, regardless of the size of their job or their age. By avoiding an administrative bureaucracy or any sort of obstacles, we are able to all work as one big team, with this spirit being reflected in everything we do. Intishal Al Timimi

Recent film festivals taking place around the globe have showcased some exceptional work. How has GFF 5^th Edition maintained such outstanding offerings in its film selection?

As the Festival Director of GFF, I believe that the program is our top priority. Without a quality program, there would be no festival. Since the inauguration of GFF, we have attained a position that we steadily uphold. From the beginning, we insisted on every film being a MENA premiere. Having set such a high benchmark in our inaugural edition, it is impossible to accept any compromise in our standards.

Equally important is the technical quality of screenings. We have put tremendous effort into the technical aspects of our projection systems. Our technical facilities have been so strong and our arrangements so meticulous that we have not had to postpone any film screening in any of the four previous editions of GFF. Intishal Al Timimi

With such a selection of exceptional films, GFF is a hub for filmmaker interactions, so having their participation in panels, screening discussions, and press interviews is a high priority for us. 

Why, in your opinion, is El Gouna such a good location for hosting this event?

El Gouna thrives on attracting the greatest possible number of visitors, and so GFF is specifically designed to attract an audience that explicitly visits the resort town to participate in the festival’s activities. We saw this play out in 2020.

What are the top priorities when putting together GFF?

When conceptualizing GFF, I didn’t simply conjure up a plan, I studied all elements of international film festivals, the current state of Arab film festivals, and the possibilities that El Gouna offered so that our program and ambitions would be aligned with our capabilities. Intishal Al Timimi

The concept that GFF adopted for its inaugural edition, in the number of films, number of guests, and most importantly, the inclusion of CineGouna Platform from the very beginning along with the CineGouna Bridge and CineGouna SpringBoard platforms, is proof of a strong and stable foundation established since day one.

What should we be looking forward to the most this year?  

GFF has become an important platform for feature narrative and short films as well as documentaries. Actually, short film distributors now consider GFF to be one of the major film festivals for short films, along with Cannes Film Festival and Venice International Film Festival.

As a result, half of our participating short films are having their World Premiere at GFF. In our 5^th edition, the directors and producers of all the participating short films have been invited to attend. This is not the norm among festivals and really makes us stand out.

For our 5^th edition, we were able to secure the participation of the best and most important Arab productions for our audiences, as well as attracting many of the best films that premiered at Cannes, Venice, Toronto, or San Sebastián film festivals, among other major ones.

I am especially pleased by the diversity of our Special Program, which ranges from Onsi Abou Seif to Fellini, Ihsan Abdel Quddous, Ingmar Bergman, Youssef Chahine, Charlie Chaplin, and, finally, Kieślowski. Kieślowski is one of the legends of cinema, an incredibly inspiring figure internationally.

In this 5^th edition, GFF is honoring action cinema. Ahmed El Saka is a much-loved actor, who is considered a lynchpin of modern action cinema in the Middle East, his repertoire includes over 11 blockbuster films. This year, GFF is also honoring the Palestinian star Mohammad Bakri, who is not only a pioneer in Palestinian cinema but is also one of the most prominent Arab cinematic figures.

On the international front, we feel especially thrilled to host a master class by the American director Darren Aronofsky, who is currently one of the most prominent cinematic directors. This is just the tip of the iceberg in what should be a riveting nine days of cinematic experiences.

What is involved in getting a huge event like GFF off the ground, and making it an international success? We ask the right person. Amal El Masri

Can you run us through your thoughts at the moment you accepted the position of Executive Director of GFF?

I have had an on-off relationship with GFF from its first edition. In the first edition, I played a role from a different seat. I was on the agency side at the time, and we were the communication partner so I was involved from day zero, in a different role. In editions two and three I was a guest, so I got to enjoy it without any responsibilities.

At the beginning of last year I was pulled in to help with the transitioning and structure of the festival under Orascom Development, a role I took on around February or March of 2020. At that point we had started seeing Covid-19 but could not have imagined what the rest of the year would be like. Having said that, we are extremely proud of the fact that we were able to pull GFF off, as a physical festival.

On the outside, we think overall that it did very well. Internally, we knew what we wanted to do in last year’s plan, and we were not able to manage this due to last-minute approvals, so this year I did commit to take on the role of Executive Director, and hopefully, I will be able to implement what we had in mind for last year.

What does your role in GFF involve?

My role involves the organizational, non-cinematic side of the festival. Obviously, we have a very strong cinematic team under the leadership of Intishal Al Timimi, our Festival Director. On the organizational side, it’s a beautiful gig. Amal El Masri

It’s all the way from the strategic and business planning of the festival and its future, to the positioning and the key pillars that we think will support the festival, through to the organization and implementation of its different elements like marketing, partnerships, the sort of content and communication that we want to create, with a focus on international markets as well as the local Egyptian and regional markets.

What have the past 12 months been filled with, in terms of conceptualization and organization?

Earlier, I mentioned the challenges of last year. However, even with these challenges, I think 2020 was a very interesting year to experience, and come up with some concepts of how to take this festival forward.

As you know, last year was the first year for us to move the location, from the Marina Theater to the Festival Plaza at the GCCC, and that allowed us to experiment with a lot of things. We were able to create a hub, or central area for the festival, not just a theater. The things we tried gave us a lot of potential to build on this year.

We tried to incorporate in the same hub the after-celebrations for the ceremonies and the marketplace for our partners. We also created the sunset networking sessions, at the Plaza. This has got us quite excited about how to grow the whole experience of the festival, so this year I think what we are looking at is the evolution of elements, the things that were working well we are building on further.

We also started introducing paid registration last year, which will enable us to grow a general audience for the festival. This is an area that is super important for us to be building on. We will always have our invited guests, and our VIP guests, but to offer space to grow the general audience is a focus for us.

What makes GFF unique?

While I think all festivals have a similar role in supporting the film industry, I think GFF is blessed with a combination of pillars not many festivals have the benefit of. The programming, and also the Cinema for Humanity Platform, finds the power of connection through films addressing humanitarian issues for our region. Amal El Masri

This takes our role further than just the film industry. Of course, the destination offers so much. It is a perfect time to host a film festival by the sea, which makes it so unique. And, the broader cultural agenda of El Gouna, starting with the GCCC, our immense new home.

What role has GFF had in encouraging cultural activity in Egypt?

I believe that GFF has played a very big role in the momentum of Egypt, whether culturally or touristically, creating modern, world-class internationally-covered cultural events. Together with GFF we see others popping up all over Egypt.

The importance of these events on a local level is that they portray a fresh, young creative side of Egypt, rather than the staid expected tourism that we see every day. I think that the festival plays a very important role in that.

What do you envision in upcoming editions?

In terms of upcoming editions, I have to say that ever since I joined the team the thing that I hear from everybody is, “This festival was born big”, which is true. It is a film festival which technically is very young, at five years, but from year one, it was on its feet with big productions, big programming and big attendance.

Moving forward, I think the more the festival matures, and we are seeing that already, the better the global awareness is in the industry. I believe our team feels that now when they travel to other festivals. El Gouna is on the map. It has a very respected reputation, thanks to the richness of its programming. When that momentum increases, both sides of the festival get to benefit. Amal El Masri

The industry side gets to benefit by the festival becoming more of a magnet for industry support, and as a general experience, it is important to grow the audience and have a wider footprint, attracting people who fly in, looking for a great cinematic experience and an amazing week on the Red Sea.