[ad_1]
Sayyid Mahmoud
The 7th El Gouna Film Festival is scheduled to take place from October 24 to November 1, 2024, with the launch of the new short film project “Cine Gouna”. The Cine Gouna event will take place from October 25 to October 31, 2024.
“Cine Gouna Short Films”, a program dedicated to providing opportunities and creating a supportive space for promising short films, begins its activities with an open invitation to filmmakers to submit their projects for a grant for narrative short films “in production”.
The prizes are awarded by the O West Municipality and provide financial support worth EGP 2.25 million, divided into three prizes: the first prize is worth EGP 1 million, the second prize is worth EGP 750,000 and the third prize is worth EGP 500,000.
“The decision to create a dedicated section for short films is in line with the festival’s strategy to support and encourage young filmmakers and contribute to the development of the local film industry,” explained Amr Mansi, Executive Director of the El Gouna Film Festival. General,” noting that “this is a continuation of the successful partnership between El Gouna and the WA Municipality, which has always been an enthusiastic partner in supporting the film community.”
Things don’t just stop at funding, the winning films will have the opportunity to premiere in the MENA region at the next El Gouna Film Festival. This offer gives the winning films the chance to be celebrated in their own country through the El Gouna Film Festival’s Short Film Competition, which features the most outstanding films each year, while giving them the freedom to gain fame and screen at international film festivals around the world.
The open call for Egyptian filmmakers to accept projects begins on August 22 and runs until September 7. Owners of selected projects will be invited to attend the El Gouna Film Festival, where they will present their projects to a jury composed of industry experts. The winning projects will be announced on October 31.
In the same context, Tamer Dowidar, CEO of O West, Makadi Heights and Beyoum, commented: “At O West, we are passionate about enriching Egypt’s artistic and cultural landscape, which is reinforced by hosting the El Gouna Film Festival every year. This year is a real opportunity to provide support to film, which is… one of the greatest art forms”. Dowidar added: “We are delighted that our collaboration has evolved to include new, impactful projects, the most recent of which is a short film project. This support is in line with O West’s interest in developing Egypt’s film industry and empowering local filmmakers, and our vision of building an integrated, sustainable city that contributes to community development in the fields of education, arts, culture, sports and entrepreneurship.”
El Gouna Film Festival Artistic Director Marianne Khoury expressed her delight at CineGouna’s introduction of short films, saying, “I am very happy to see short films being given power and a new space to have an impact,” adding, “This is a great opportunity to bring new talent to filmmaking.”
“The uniqueness of Cine Gouna Shorts lies in the power it gives to a format that is often overlooked but of great value to filmmakers. In the past few years, Egyptian shorts have received international acclaim and won some of the most prestigious awards at a range of international film festivals,” said Maryam Naoum, President of the El Gouna Film Forum. “Short films are a calling card for filmmakers to introduce themselves to the world, and a free space for established filmmakers who often crave the freedom to create their own projects, away from the constraints of commercial filmmaking.”
This collaboration between O West and Cine Gouna is not the first, as the partnership debuted last June with the “Cine Gouna at O West” event in downtown Cairo. And it certainly won’t be the last.
The project aims to engage fans of the 7th Cairo Festival in the rich and impactful experience of El Gouna Festival and to promote artistic and financial growth through workshops, masterclasses, dialogue sessions and networking opportunities as this is not limited to just the festival period but continues throughout the year in the WA city.
This stems from O West City’s continued support for the El Gouna Film Festival as one of the main sponsors, reflecting the city’s passion for nurturing young film talent and promoting cultural events.
El Gouna Film Festival is one of the leading film festivals in the Middle East and North Africa region, aiming to showcase a wide range of films from around the world, with a focus on Arab films, to an enthusiastic and well-informed audience. It is dedicated to strengthening cross-cultural exchanges through the art of filmmaking.
The festival aims to connect the region’s filmmakers with their international counterparts in a spirit of collaboration and cultural exchange. In addition, the festival aims to promote and support the development of the region’s film industry, providing a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work as well as discover new voices and talents that enrich the film industry.
[ad_2]
Source link
