The highly anticipated lineup of the Feature Narrative Competition (FNC) section of the 8th edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) is now definitively set, and the curtain is officially raised on this year’s collection of global fiction. The festival is thrilled to announce that with the inclusion of MILK TEETH by Mihai Mincan, and Jim Jarmusch’s acclaimed Venice Golden Lion winner, FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER, and, the final selection is locked with a total of 13 distinguished narrative features from acclaimed auteurs and powerful emerging voices across the globe.
This year’s competition lineup showcases the emotional breadth of modern storytelling, featuring high-profile prize winners from Venice, Cannes, and Berlinale. The selection focuses on deeply personal dramas, family reckonings, and urgent political and historical narratives.
“This year’s Feature Narrative Competition is a powerhouse of contemporary storytelling,” said Andrew Mohsen, Head of Film Programming at GFF. “To lock the lineup with a Golden Lion winner like Jim Jarmusch’s film, alongside established auteurs and a strong crop of Arab cinema, speaks to the high calibre of GFF 2025. These films are not just entertaining; they explore the most intimate corners of the human experience and deliver exceptional cinematic craft.”
Marianne Khoury, Artistic Director of the festival, added: “Narrative cinema allows us to step into another person’s world, fostering empathy that transcends borders. This competition selection is defined by its emotional depth—stories of fractured families, political awakening, and personal endurance. It reflects the global diversity we champion and promises our audience both cinematic excellence and profound connection.”
Feature Narrative Competition Lineup:
ADAM’S SAKE | L’INTÉRÊT D’ADAM
Laura Wandel | Belgium, France | 75 min
A compassionate nurse working in a paediatric ward is confronted by a mother’s refusal to leave her 4-year-old son’s side despite a judge’s restriction, pushing the nurse to intervene.
FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER
Jim Jarmusch | United States | 110 min
Winner of the Golden Lion at Venice, this quietly humorous and tender triptych portrays estranged siblings brought together after years apart, exploring memory, reconciliation, and the shifting dynamics of family.
LUCKY LU
Choi Lloyd Lee | Canada, United States | 103 min | First Feature
In this Cannes-premiering debut, a Chinese delivery rider in New York loses his job, forcing him to confront family, survival, and the true meaning of luck in a ruthless city.
MILK TEETH | DINȚI DE LAPTE
Mihai Mincan | Romania, France, Denmark, Greece, Bulgaria | 104 min
Romania, 1989. A ten-year-old girl is the last person to witness her sister disappearing, forcing her to confront a new, terrifying reality as the dictatorship ends.
MY FATHER’S SCENT | KOLUNIA
Mohamed Siam | Egypt, Norway, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France | 90 min
Starring Kamel El Basha and Ahmed Malek, this gripping family drama centres on a strained father-son relationship and an explosive night of reckoning that unearths buried secrets.
NINO
Pauline Loquès | France | 97 min | First Feature
Facing a cancer diagnosis on the eve of his 29th birthday, shy Nino has three days to reconnect with Paris, others, and himself. Winner of Cannes Critics’ Week Rising Star Award.
A PALE VIEW OF HILLS | TÔI YAMA-NAMI NO HIKARI
Kei Ishikawa | Japan, United Kingdom, Poland | 123 min
Haunted by memories of Nagasaki, a Japanese woman living in England recalls her friendship with a mysterious neighbour as past and present blur, exploring grief and fragile connections.
A POET | UN POETA
Simón Mesa Soto | Colombia, Germany, Sweden | 120 min | Second Feature
Winner of the Jury Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, this hilarious and poignant absurdist fable follows a washed-up writer in Medellín who mentors a gifted teenager.
ROMERIA
Carla Simón | Spain, Germany | 104 min
The powerful conclusion to Carla Simon’s family cycle follows an orphaned 18-year-old as she visits her estranged grandparents, uncovering family wounds and piecing together her parents’ past.
THE SETTLEMENT | AL MOSTA’MARA
Mohamed Rashad | Egypt, France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia | 94 min
A 2025 Berlinale Perspectives selection, this suspenseful fiction debut follows two brothers who begin to question their father’s workplace death, embarking on a quest for the truth.
SHADOWBOX | BAKSHO BONDI
Tanushree Das, Saumyananda Sahi | India, France, United States, Spain | 93 min | First Feature
A woman discovers her retired soldier husband is a murder suspect, pushing her and her teenage son to the edge in a desperate fight to hold their family together.
TWO PROSECUTORS | DEUX PROCUREURS
France, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania | 118 min
1937: An idealistic prosecutor uncovers NKVD corruption in Stalin’s USSR, leading him on a dangerous journey into the heart of a system devouring its own. The film won the François Chalais Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM | WAYN YAKHUDUNA AL RIYH
Amel Guellaty | Tunisia, France, Qatar | 100 min | First Feature
A 2019 CineGouna alumni follows the rebellious 19-year-old Alyssa and shy 23-year-old Mehdi as they embark on a road trip to southern Tunisia, dreaming of escaping their reality.
The Competition Awards
While all 13 films in the Feature Narrative Competition are, in our view, artistic triumphs, the competitive element of a festival serves to spotlight cinematic excellence and draw global attention to these significant works.
Filmmakers and talents will vie for six prestigious prizes, including the main monetary awards: the El Gouna Golden Star for Narrative Film, which comes with a trophy and a substantial prize of US $50,000; the El Gouna Silver Star (Trophy and US $25,000); and the El Gouna Bronze Star (Trophy and US $15,000). The festival also honours regional cinema with the El Gouna Star for the Best Arab Narrative Film, awarded with a trophy and US $20,000. Furthermore, individual artistic achievements will be celebrated with trophies for the El Gouna Star for the Best Actor and the El Gouna Star for the Best Actress.
This diverse selection of films ensures the Feature Narrative Competition will be a source of profound emotional engagement and critical discussion for all festival attendees.
