Up And Down Beirut
By Rita Wakim
At its ninth edition, the El Gouna Film Festival reaffirms its strong presence on the international cinematic scene, bringing stories, voices, and perspectives from around the world to Egypt’s shores
Cinema is at its most powerful when it takes audiences beyond familiar horizons, introduces them to new perspectives, and sparks curiosity about the world around them. This year, the El Gouna Film Festival delivers precisely that: a thoughtfully curated cinematic bouquet celebrating diversity, artistic expression, and the richness of the human experience.
With a lineup spanning cultures, genres, and cinematic approaches, the festival offers more than a series of screenings. It creates an opportunity for audiences to discover unfamiliar worlds, engage with compelling stories, and experience cinema in all its emotional and intellectual depth.
During the opening ceremony, in a conversation with our website, the festival’s Artistic Director, Andrew Mohsen, promised a lineup distinguished by diversity and originality. As the programme unfolds, his curatorial vision demonstrates the value of that commitment.
The ninth edition stands as a testament to the importance of thoughtful film selection. By bringing together distinctive cinematic voices and perspectives, the festival makes the cinephile experience both enriching and engaging, balancing artistic ambition with the pleasure of discovery.
This diversity is not simply a matter of including films from different countries. It lies in the stories themselves, the questions they raise, the emotions they evoke, and the ways in which they invite audiences to look at familiar realities through a different lens.
The result is a cinematic experience that encourages curiosity, challenges expectations, and reminds us that the universal language of film can transcend geographical and cultural boundaries.
Dolphins: My Close Encounters — A Journey into the Emotional World of Dolphin ‘s Life
Among the films that capture this spirit is Dolphins: My Close Encounters, directed by Swiss filmmaker Barny Revill. Following marine biologist Angela Ziltener throughout her 15-year journey studying wild dolphins in the Red Sea, the documentary explores the delicate relationship between scientific observation, intuition, and the natural world.
Through breathtaking marine landscapes and a deeply personal perspective, the film highlights the dolphins’ social bonds, behavioural complexity, and remarkable capacity for interaction. It invites audiences to reconsider humanity’s relationship with other species and reflect on how we approach, understand, and coexist with the natural world.
More than a documentary about marine life, it is an invitation to look beyond our own species and recognise the extraordinary forms of intelligence, empathy, and connection that exist beneath the surface.
No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman — When a Woman Confronts the Darkness of War
Another compelling highlight of this year’s cinematic selection is No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman, written and directed by Halkawt Mustafa. The filmmaker revealed that it took him nine years to bring this impactful project to fruition. Shot in Mosul, Iraq, the film confronts the devastating legacy of war through a deeply human story.
At the heart of the film is leading actress Avan Jamal, whose outstanding performance deeply moved audiences during a packed festival screening. Her powerful portrayal lends emotional depth and intensity to a story in which the boundaries between victimhood, resilience, and resistance are continually challenged.
The film’s central premise is both haunting and compelling: What happens when a woman transforms from a victim of war into a force determined to confront its darkness?
Through its powerful narrative and emotionally resonant performances, the film offers a striking perspective on survival, agency, and the human capacity to confront the consequences of conflict.
سبرينغ in Imroz — When Love Becomes a Second Spring
Bringing together two celebrated actors, Halit Ergenç and Meryem Uzerli, on screen after 15 years, Summer in Imroz explores the emotional journey of two wounded souls who find comfort and solace in each other’s presence.
Through a tender exploration of grief, solitude, and human connection, the film reminds us that even after profound loss, the heart may still find the courage to love again and begin the journey towards healing.
Set against the enchanting atmosphere of Imroz, the story unfolds as an intimate reflection on the fragility of human relationships and the possibility of renewal. It suggests that sometimes, after life’s most difficult seasons, love can offer an unexpected new beginning.
In this cinematic world, healing does not mean forgetting the past; it means finding the strength to embrace the future.
Beyond the films themselves, the El Gouna Film Festival reinforces Egypt’s position as a vibrant destination for cultural exchange and international artistic dialogue. By welcoming filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, the festival showcases Egypt not only as a host of major cultural events but also as a country whose artistic landscape contributes meaningfully to the global conversation.
Against the distinctive backdrop of the Red Sea, El Gouna offers a setting where cinema, culture, and international encounters converge. The festival projects an image of Egypt that celebrates its openness to creativity, embraces artistic diversity, and strengthens its engagement with the international cultural community.
As the 9th edition unfolds, the festival demonstrates that a successful cinematic programme is defined not solely by the number of films it presents, but by the quality of its selection, the diversity of its perspectives, and the lasting impressions it leaves on audiences.
At the opening ceremony, Andrew Mohsen made diversity a promise. Through a carefully curated selection of films that celebrates difference, explores the human condition, and sparks curiosity, the ninth edition gives that promise substance.
The result is a festival that continues to strengthen its position on the international cinematic stage while offering audiences a rich, memorable, and genuinely engaging journey through the art of film.
In El Gouna, cinema becomes more than an experience on screen: it becomes a meeting point for cultures, a celebration of artistic mastery, and a reminder that the most compelling stories are those that bring us closer to one another.
