Over $300,000 in Awards for 17 Film Projects
CineGouna Funding, the El Gouna Film Festival’s platform for supporting Arab film projects in the development and post-production phases, announced the full list of winners of the program’s 8th edition. The total prizes exceeded $300,000, consisting of financial and service support awards provided by El Gouna Film Festival and its prestigious sponsors.
The CineGouna Funding jury, comprised of Spanish producer Essuna Basola, Egyptian director, producer, and writer Ahmed Amer, and Moroccan producer Lamia Chraibi, and after consulting with the sponsoring companies, distributed 29 valuable awards to 17 projects out of the 19 competing on the platform this year.
Amr Mansi, Co-Founder and Executive Director of El Gouna Film Festival, expressed his delight at the wide variety of awards, saying, “Throughout the year, we proudly observed the repeated successes achieved by the films graduating from CineGouna for Film Production Support, which is reflected in the interest of filmmakers and donors in the platform, which has become a major hub for the Arab film industry.”
Ahmed Shawky, President of CineGouna for Film Production Support, spoke about the eighth edition, saying, “During the days of CineGouna for Film Production Support, the makers of the 19 participating projects held 114 individual meetings with companies, institutions, and international festivals participating in the festival. They benefited from a training program tailored to the needs of each project, ensuring everyone benefits, whether they win the platform’s awards or not.”
Here is the full list of CineGouna Awards for Film Production Support 2025:
CineGouna Platform Certificate and a $15,000 cash prize for Best Project in Development: Salt (Tunisia, France, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar), directed by Rami Jarboui, produced by Ramzi Lamouri.
CineGouna Platform Certificate and a $15,000 cash prize for Best Film in Post-Production: The Man Who Bows to the Flowers (Lebanon), directed by Eliane Raheb, produced by Cynthia Choucair.
$10,000 from Film Square: I Fear the Day I Meet You (Egypt), directed by Khaled Mansour, produced by Rasha Hosni.
$10,000 cash prize from Arab Radio and Television (ART): Paradise Beirut (Lebanon, France), directed by Cynthia Saouma, produced by Georges Choucair and Matthew Gledhill.
$10,000 cash prize from Abu Ghaly Motors: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia), directed by Amir El Shenawy, produced by Ahmed Abdel Salam.
$10,000 cash prize from Blue Bay Productions: Biso (Iraq, Denmark), directed by Muslim Habib, produced by Mona Al Kazemi and Tamara Amer.
$10,000 cash prize from the Sawiris Foundation for Cultural Development and the Drosos Foundation: American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia), directed by Amir El Shenawy, produced by Ahmed Abdel Salam.
$8,000 cash prize from Big Bang Studios: Blue Card (Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), directed by Mohamed El Omda, produced by Amjad Abu Alala.
$5,000 cash prize from the Red Sea Film Foundation for a project in development: Paradise Beirut (Lebanon, France), directed by Cynthia Saouma, produced by Georges Schoucair and Matthew Gledhill.
$5,000 cash prize from the Red Sea Film Foundation for a film in post-production: Qastal (Lebanon), directed and produced by Karim Kassem.
$5,000 cash prize from New Century Productions: No Patience, No Solace (Jordan, UK, Saudi Arabia), directed by Bassel Ghandour, produced by Rula Nasser.
$5,000 cash prize from Rise Studios: Paradise Beirut (Lebanon, France), directed by Cynthia Saouma, produced by Georges Schoucair and Matthew Gledhill.
$5,000 cash prize from Sard: An American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia), directed by Amir El Shenawy, produced by Ahmed Abdel Salam.
$5,000 screenplay development services with Mariam Naoum from Sard: Assa (France), directed by Valentin Noujaim, produced by Manon Messiaen.
$50,000 distribution for two films from MAD Solution: Assa (France), directed by Valentin Noujaim, produced by Manon Messiaen.
$13,500 USD worth of post-production services from B Media Productions: Halima (Morocco), directed and produced by Yassine El Idrissi.
$13,500 USD worth of post-production services from B Media Productions: Four Love Tales (Egypt), directed by Maged Atta, produced by Omnia Sweidan.
$12,000 USD worth of full DCP services from Shift Studios: Animals (Egypt), directed by Murad Mustafa, produced by Sawsan Youssef.
$12,000 USD worth of full promotion package services from Shift Studios: An American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia), directed by Amir El Shenawy, produced by Ahmed Abdel Salam.
$6,000 USD worth of post-production services from Big Bang Studios: An American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia), directed by Amir El Shenawy, produced by Ahmed Abdel Salam.
$6,000 USD worth of post-production services from Big Bang Studios: Four Love Tales (Egypt), directed by Maged Atta, produced by Omnia Sweidan.
$5,000 in soundstage services from The Sound of Egypt: An American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia), directed by Amir El-Shenawy, produced by Ahmed Abdel Salam.
$5,000 in soundstage services from The Sound of Egypt: Four Love Tales (Egypt), directed by Maged Atta, produced by Omnia Sweidan.
An invitation to the Rotterdam Film Lab, valued at $5,000, from the Arab Cinema Center: Your Voice Only (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan), directed by Rana Matar, produced by Lama Jamjoum.
A covered invitation to a project in development to participate in the Torino Film Lab NEXT, with a participation fee of 1,700 euros from Torino Film Lab and IEFTA: “Ki tih tih el baqarah!” (Morocco), directed and produced by Asmaa El Madar.
A French Festival Call for Participation, presented by the French Embassy in Cairo / Institut Français: “Animals” (Egypt), directed by Murad Mustafa, produced by Sawsan Youssef.
Mediterranean Documentary Market (Med) Call for Participation: “Cement Floor” (Jordan, Palestine), directed by Asmaa Bakrat, produced by Ban Maraka.
Durban Film Market Call for Participation: “Ki tih el baqarah!” (Morocco), directed and produced by Asmaa El Madar.
A one-year membership in the DAE services, presented by the European Documentary Film Foundation (DEA): “Mukhtaf” (France, Syria, Lebanon), directed by Anas Zouahri, produced by Ahmed El Haj.
