El Gouna Film Festival honored festival expert Intishal Al Tamimi, who served as Director of El Gouna Film Festival before joining the International Advisory Board of El Gouna Film Festival.
The eighth edition of El Gouna Film Festival honored actress Menna Shalaby with the “Creative Achievement Award,” recognizing her distinguished artistic career and influential roles in Egyptian and Arab cinema. This year, the festival witnessed the attendance of international actress Cate Blanchett as the festival’s guest of honor, where she was honored with the “Humanitarian Hero” award in recognition of her artistic and humanitarian contributions.
The eighth edition of El Gouna Film Festival featured a large selection of films from around the world, combining feature films, documentaries, and short films. Egyptian cinema was prominent this year with the screening of five films in the festival’s various competitions, in addition to the opening film “Happy Birthday.” The festival also hosted a special screening of “The Gentlemen,” attended by its makers and stars.
Star Laila Elwi chaired the feature film competition jury, along with Giona Nazzaro, Rashid Masharawi, Kani Koshrouti, and Nahuel Perez Biscayart. French director Nicolas Philibert chaired the feature documentary jury, which included director Sona Karaboghossian, Mohamed Said Ouma, and Hala Jalal.
The short films jury was chaired by Mahdi Fleifel, and included Andrea Gatopoulos, Juliette Cano, Souad Bushnak, and Mustafa El Kashef. The Green Star jury included Jana Wahba, Mai El Gheity, and Niklas Engström.
Published Oct 24, 2025
